That’s actually a pretty terrible title for a post. It implies that I don’t have anything to talk about right here, and for once, I actually do!
I know nobody wants to read a post apologizing for a lack of updates, so I’ll make that part brief. I’ll completely admit to letting Flickr and Twitter conspire to absolutely murder my blog output. This phenomenon isn’t new, or unique. Flickr basically supplanted the original incarnation of my blog too! But last year, when I made a fresh start, I vowed that I was going to write, damn it! So I need to keep trying.
So, what have I been up to lately, besides maintaining a crippling addiction to the little blue bird? I’m glad you asked.
Hey Guys Lets Ride Bikes
Let’s have a look at the cold, hard facts:
As you can see, the drop-off in blog output directly correlates with too much bike! Note the last post occurred during the week that I couldn’t even sit on a bicycle saddle without feeling the effects of Boggs Butt, followed by radio silence (except on Flickr, Twitter, Facebook, street corners, etc) until now. I think the correlation is clear. I’ve been spending WAY too much time filling up those little green bar graphs. I blame Strava.
I rode more in May of this year than I did in July of last year (which, at that point, was my biggest month ever). Either I’m building myself a nice, solid base from which I will sharpen a pointy spear of fitness for the upcoming CX season, or I’m wearing myself down into a useless burnt-out nub. It’s too early to tell, but as long as I’m still smiling, more riding is better, right? As a precaution, I actually managed to put a rest week in at the start of the month.
But seriously, nobody wants to read a so-called training blog. And even though I’ve been banned from using “ironic” quotes around the word any more, I’ll never subject my dear readers to such a thing. However, hopefully I’ll manage to remember some of the more interesting experiences involving bikes and write about them here. Maybe even things that happened before Boggs, like the awesome mountain bike weekend in Mendocino?
But come on, that was all the way back in January! I may as well write about stuff that happened last year, like Cross Vegas!
This is the only photo I have from that race, but damn if it isn’t a good one. Most of the coverage of Cross Vegas centered on the Elite race, like this recap video:
(if you watch all the way to the end, you can just make out Francis Mourey coming around Jamie Driscoll for the win)
So what else have I been up to lately?
CX Comic 2.0
So in case I hadn’t made it abundantly clear in the past, I’m really not satisfied with most of Cyclocross! A Comic. People often greet to this statement with statements like “but I like it the way it is!” or even “[the crappy way it’s drawn] is part of the charm.” Well, you might like it the way it is, but I certainly can’t go to print with a rough draft. And trust me, I’m not actually good enough at drawing to eliminate the “charm”, no matter how much extra time I spend on it. So don’t worry!
So, a progress update! I meant to have it redrawn before the end of the season. Since that didn’t happen, I’ve been plugging away. I’m only a few pages away from having all the basic art done, and I feel that I’m actually getting close enough to scan in what I have and start assembling the book. I’m even going to use a scanner this time, instead of an iPhone 4 camera! I’m planning on having it assembled and ready to print by September. Please hold me to it.
The Kitten of Flanders
This deserves its own post, but I’m just going to say that quick sketch in the coffee shop came to life like few of my designs ever have…
Just ponder on that for a while. He’s got a Facebook page, too. Please go forth to the page and click “Like” on it, so that I can get a custom URL. Soon, I will have the flags available for purchase, along with other awesome items. It’s going to be sweet, until I get punched right in the face by an actual Flandrien.
The Rand Miller Bottle
Sometime last year, my friend Eric suggested that I check out the blog written by Rand Miller, a local road racer. Eric claimed that Rand was both “hilarious” and “wins races all the time”. In reality, I can tell you that he’s “pretty funny” and “comes in second” in races all the time.
If you liked that burn, you might also like Rand’s blog. See, I’m not nearly as good at talking crap (or racing bikes, or updating my blog) as he is. But after Rand was shamed into doing a cyclocross race last season, I had an opportunity to meet him in person. And there are some things that I am good at, like drawing to amuse myself.
So, some time later, during one of my patented Sketching and Twitter* (and coffee) sessions, I floated the joke (?) idea of doing a roadie sequel to the Cyclocross Comic, inspired by Rand’s exploits. In reply, he tweeted “I can only imagine how ridiculous I’d look” in the comic, and just a few minutes later, nobody had to imagine anymore…
Several hours after that, I had a version ready to go onto a water bottle. Several months later, the Rand Miller Breakaway Bottle™ is sure to be the hottest commodity in the cycling world!
*If it wasn’t for that second part, I might be a whole lot more productive with the drawing. Then again, I’ve had some really good ideas while mixing Twitter with drawing. Don’t knock it!
A bit 
Slonie 