Below is a high school photograph of the author when he was a younger, more virile man...A man that perhaps could have won the Chequamegon!

With only a few big-time events left in my humble little racing season there remains a yearning in my soul to achieve some semblance of success...I guess I did okay earlier in the season on gravel, but my efforts on the mountain bike so far have not been all that impressive. Recently at the MNSCS/WORS Border Battle I was so slow that a group of civic-minded cub scouts on scooters engaged in cleaning up the course (post race) caught me up on my last pathetic lap; some of which offered to immediately go for help, while the rest of the troop agreed to stay with me until I was "out of the woods." Embarrassingly and after several minutes of debate, I was able to convince them that I was indeed a participating registered racer and that while I may not be the fastest rider in the race, I was quite confident of my abilities to get back to the finish/start line under my own power...In any event, I better get my act together soon as there are only two big mtb races remaining for me, namely: The Chequamegon (just a week from Saturday), and The 12 hours @ The Thunderdown (last weekend in September). Of course later on there is the Minnesota Cyclocross Championships (in early November)...The point being that all three of these top-notch venues can provide one with a chance for redemption. But last year,I totally fell apart at the Fat Tire (perhaps a victim of an overzealous effort to carbo-load the night before with my two buddies from Madison) and the fact of the matter is that I aint a very good 'cross racer (and I usually hurt myself early in the CX season), so I think my plan is to PEAK for the Underground at the Thunderdown...Yep, a man needs a plan...so he can get up in the morning and face a new day.....So Watch Out if you are planning on racing at the Thunderdown in late September cuz it gonna be a Peak Race for me....