Ouch. But a fun ouch. An ouch with a happy ending. An ouch that let's you know you're alive. An ouch that you know every one else is feeling and hating just as much. And the reward? A brief respite before a bone jarring descent across washboard and loose dirt. With a climb there ready to smack you in the face before more technical descending and washboard and loose dirt. All so you can get back to the run up and say "ouch" again. Good times, no doubt.

Reaching into the mailbag might be a little over due so here goes:

Hey Johnny,
Are you coming to Santa Rosa on November 1st? It should be GOOD. How's about posting your Cross Schedule on your bloggy blog, so all your fans can show and scream really loud. Laurel Green Santa Rosa, Ca

Hey Laurel-
Thanks for writing in. Doesn't look like I'll be hitting any of the Santa Rosa races this year. I'm booked pretty solid through the middle of December, at least, doing the NorCal Cup races, Pilarcitos and CCCX series and maybe Districts. I've been having a great time racing but the wifeage may have something else to say about it.

Hey Johnny,
We are thinking about getting chickens. What do you recommend? Signed, A chicken lover in Alamo.

Dear Chicken Lover,
I recommend avoiding the foul process of raising fowl. They crap all over your yard, coop building is expensive even if you can get someone to do it for free, and the smell is awful. We are up to seven chickens (three layers and four chicks) now. Their names are: Midnight, Mo-Mo, AJ, Black Out, Dream, Tiny and Princess.

Hey Johnny,
Thanks for losing the weight this year. Sincerely, Your Cross Bike

Cross bike,
Thank you. You know I've been working at it since June 1st (down 20+ pounds and more than 10 pounds off of last years race weight) and with Project Johnny being deemed a complete success at this point, I appreciate you hanging in there with me. I want you to know, though you have recently been reduced to being a back up bike, you never forget that first love.

Anyway, that's all I've got for your today. Kind of flat and really out of it due to the racing yesterday. Hope you are well.

Johnny GoFast