The Dirt Looks Good!

The dirt looks good . . . in Council Bluffs that is. In Ames we got another torrential deluge of biblical proportion. In Ames I'm guessing the dirt looks like total slop. At one point this afternoon a turtle sought higher ground in our back yard . . . seriously!

That's not the case where I am now. I'm writing this from a fleabag hotel in Council Bluffs. Christy and I drove over this afternoon so I'd be all fresh in the morning for IMBCS # 4. The weather is good here, and the sun is shining. I just took a field trip outside the hotel the check dirt conditions, and everything looks great. The dirt ranges from tacky in the low spots to dry on the top. I was surprised to see that they have only had 0.18 inches of rain in the past 72 hours. Sweet! With the beginners racing early in the day, the course should be perfect by the noon start time. That is, provided we don't get any more rain here. From the looks of the farm fields, they have had a ton of rain in the last month.

Christy and I went out and did some carb loading tonight at the local Mongolian grill (I didn't see a Mongolian in the place). Mmmm. Mongolian noodles and pad Thai. Yum. I'm all fat and happy.

Last year the skies opened up before the sport/expert race. However, by the second lap the rain was done, the course was nicely beat in, and was near perfect. I remember following a local Clydesdale into the opening descent on the second lap. I was cursing under my breath thinking he was going to slow me down. He rode that thing like he was on rails! There was no way I could keep up with him. Of course I was dragging brakes the whole time, not knowing what was around the next corner. I don't think he was doing that, cause he pulled away from me like I was standing still. So, note to self - stay off the brakes on the opening descent. The canyons are so deep that there is no chance chance miss a turn or go off trail. The worst you can do is rub a shoulder on the sides. Just stab it and steer!

On more thing. I walked the big hill last year ( Mount Never-Rest). That isn't going to happen this year. Last year there was a Cyclocross sized crowd at the top of the hill (including Pete Basso, who had a mechanical in the expert race). I hope that happens this year - the crowd, not the mechanical for Pete!

Good luck to all tomorrow!