My Alter Ego...

"Bunny Man".... as i'm known to thousands of school kids from the east end of Toronto.... and it's tons of fun!!! I've been "Rabbiting" for the last few years.... building from just being the-guy-on-the-bike to the-guy-on-the-bike-with-bunny-ears.... and now to the full pink fuzzy bunny suit.... The little kids go nuts for it, the intermediates just smirk and nod... and strangely enough the grades 4-6's are the ones with comments about roasting me, cooking me, cutting off my lucky feet and pulling off my tail.... whatever makes them run faster... Fun times for everyone...

Bad Bike Gods... Good Bike Racers

So you know those times on the bike or in a race when things just don't go your way? It happens to all of us... and it happened to me... but there is a good side. Did the Durham Classic 'Cross race last weekend.... less than a 10min drive from my house. Get out there nice and early to have a good warm up since i was sick for most of the week and just wanted some intensity. And then... i stripped the valve extender i needed to inflate my tires.... "can i borrow one from someone else"... can't find one.... "why don't i just put a new tube in?" ... forgot them at home... "can i trade a tube for one that will work?"... thanks to Nathan Chown for swapping with me... "OK... a short warm up but that's okay"..... and we're off!!! Almost crash hopping over a pothole on the gravel road start but settle in behind Dave Dermont for a lap and then pull through when i start to feel good... "Hey.. i have a bit of a gap"... "hey... i have more of a gap".... "Hey... i have a flat tire!!!!" ..... darn those rocks hidden in deep puddles... "Dave, do you have a wheel i can borrow?"... no luck.... so i keep running for most of the lap... until Jonathan Wilby goes by... "Hey Barnes... i have a set of Mavics in the pits you can borrow"... my eyes see the light at the end of the tunnel.... and i work my way back to 5th place... not bad considering being sick and the long run. So i stick around for the awards (FREE BEER!!!) and end up with a nice pair of PI carbon road shoes as a draw prize.... sweet.... So overall not the worst day of cycling. Now it's time to get ready for the UCI race at Centennial Park... should be fast!!!

Cyclo-cross (eyed...)

So now that the MTB season is done... and i've had a little time to rest... it's 'cross season!!! i took the first few races off, but made it out to Guelph last weekend for my first... and always painful.. cross race of the year. I knew that it would hurt... and keep hurting... and i was right. The only good news is that i was able to start with Peter Mogg, Andrew Crouch and Ted Ingram... but only stayed with them for 2 of the 9 laps.... once they got a bit of a gap and started working together, i knew there was no pulling them back. It turned out to be a nice day, and i was pleased with my first shot at 'cross this season.... and i even won $10!!!! I know what i have to do to get back into shape for it... and those days with come with the help of a great group of riders on Tuesday nites.... hard rides that make racing easier. I have plans to do at least one race on Thanksgiving weekend before doing both at the Toronto Cyclocross weekend.... and then a few more before provincials in Ottawa. The fun never stops....