This is just an extension of the last post. Happy Birthday Rastus!!!

Ahh, cx season is finally over for me. It was a good one. I'll try and catch up since last posting. Thriller Cross was awesome! Lots of people dressed up for the occasion. There were 2 shortcuts. One was a beer/push-up, and the next was a skinny. Both provided plenty of entertainment, as well as shaved significant time from the lap. Then a party at donkelope world hq followed that night. A fire, winter brew, brats, and The Cup was put to good use that evening! Speaking of cups, there was a little friendly competition at the MFG and SCX series between single speed teams this year. The teams were HODALA!(the team I'm on), Alki-Rubicon, and Stanley. The "prize" was the losing team had to wash the winning team's bikes. In bikinis. The other losing team had to serve us beers. It was great. Next up was the last race in the Cascade Cross series, and everyone's fave, Chiller Cross! This year, two of us B'ham crossers had an idea. Tim(BFF Cycling) and I thought a flyover would be awesome. A couple more beers and slices of pizza, and we were motivated. Plus Ryan said he would help pay for a hefty portion of it. We had bigger plans on how it was going to look, but time was an issue. Even with transporting issues, we managed to get it finished. Just in time. Riding it was rad! A big thanks to Tim, Ryan, and everyone who helped set that beast up. I'd like to end this post with a huge birthday wish to my sidekick and best buddy ever, Rastus. Love you Bubba.

It's been cx mania! The SCX finale in Monroe was super good, and muddy. One of the few muddy races this season(check pic). Then we had WA State CX Champs in Arlington. I was a bit skeptical at first considering how flat it is by the airport. But the crew built an awesome course that was challenging. HODALA! took the whole SS podium! Next up was the USGP in Bend. The SS race started way too early, it was damn chilly. Even though it was dry, it was a fun course. Good times in Oregon. Tomorrow is Thriller Cross, a Cascade Series Race. Ryan has put a lot of effort into this race. It's going to be sweet. So head over to Civic Field, and cheer on your favorite zombie, I mean racer!

SSCXWC was rad! San Francisco is a great town to go hang out, and ride your bike around. The qualifier was a fun ride, and the race course on sunday was super good. Thanks to all of the rain throughout the weekend. My team is awesome! Lots going on in the shop right now. Repairs, refurbishes, and builds. Here are some pics of Randy's almost dead pinarello. The dt and lug were cracked. So this thing is basically getting a new front end. The cages are for Stanley brand flasks. I hauled a bunch to SF to match up with the SSCXWC dino flasks. But someone must've been eating too much weaksauce, cuz there weren't any flasks available! $35 if you're into that sort of biking.

The latest issue of Freehub is out. There's a little builder bio on donkelope bikes. Thanks Brandon! Cross season is in full swing, despite our abnormally nice weather. Great for spectating, but more mud would be nice. Went to Fort Collins for the USGP in early oct. That is a fun town! The racing was pretty fun, hilly, but fun. One more tooth on the cog would've been nice. SSCXWC is just around the corner. Pretty much the whole team is heading down for that event.

It's fall, and there's lots of bike stuff going down. My favorite season. Cross season has started strong, although too early for me. Starcrossed was fun. Not as many spectators at Issaquah as there were at Marymoor, but all who showed up had a great time. Oregon Manifest was last weekend. What a stressful week leading into that. No matter how early I think I start my project, it comes down to the very last minute. The weekend went well with awesome weather, lots of cool bikes, and great people that build them. There are pics of the event all over the web, so surf it up! My entry had a sidecar that I built to haul Raz around. We were definitely one of the crowd favorites. The bike performed awesome. The sidecar needs a couple of tweaks. And my front bag worked stellar. Thanks to Martina a Swift Ind in Seattle. Now back to the work that has been waiting for me. And getting ready for cx season!

The tough road rides just keep coming! The Mount Baker Hill Climb is the weekend of september 10-11. Come support a great ride up the mountain! Great scenery and no traffic. They shut the road down until noon that day.