Catching up

I haven't been very good lately about updating the blog but it's one of those things that is easy to put aside or neglect. I realize there are a few people that follow it from time to time but it seems more and more people are staying in touch via Facebook. And it is a lot easier to post a few sentences here and there rather than constructing entire paragraphs. It is just another way in which our world is changing.

In the past month I haven't really done much racing, I did do one up in Midland, the race where I crashed hard last year and thought I had broken some ribs. This year I managed to stay upright and finish second in my class.

Earlier in the same week I competed in the short track race I put on at the high school but did not do very well. Part of the problem was that I put on skinny tires to help the bike be faster on the primarily grass course but the tires also lowered the crank to the point that the pedals would hit in the turns if I wasn't careful and pivot the rear wheel off the ground.

I had been busy preparing for the first two interscholastic races and the MiSCA board had put in a lot of work. Especially when the Lake Orion school told us to go ahead and run the one race on our own and keep the proceeds.

The day before the race it rained hard for most of the day but by late afternoon it had stopped enough that I could blow of the trail to help it dry. By race time on Sunday the trails was in pretty good condition but I think the previous day's rain had scared some riders from competing. Those that did come out enjoyed the course and the interscholastic competition; I believe the first of its kind in Michigan.

The board also went through a name change for the organization. What used to be MICA, Michigan Interscholastic Cycling Association, was changed to MiSCA, or Michigan Scholastic Cycling Association. It doesn't seem like much of a change but we were asked to change our name by the national organization, NICA. They thought it was too confusing, especially since we are not a part of their organization.

That meant a new logo and website domain name as well as some changes to come on the website itself. We are working on literature to have ready for the Iceman in a month; over 4,000 racers are expected to attend and we hope to be able to get the word out about MiSCA. We also plan on hitting up shops and schools across the state as we expand for next year. This winter and spring will be critical to get new clubs in the program so they can form teams for next fall. We want to be able to get enough support to be able to offer scholarships next fall.

Talking about Iceman, I decided to sell my entry to the sold out race. I put it up for auction on eBay and unless the buyer doesn't pay in time, I will not be racing. I decided a while ago to not race anymore this fall as I didn't really have the time or motivation to race any more. I have been finding it harder each year to continue to have the same enthusiasm for racing. Each year I have done something a little different to change it up.

This year I raced most of the races in the singlespeed class for a change of pace. I also didn't do any of the endurance races for the first time in a many years. Next year? Who knows, maybe try some road racing or maybe just go riding. I know I will still be very involved with racing, just not so much while on a bike.