HOLLANDAISE MUD SAUCE RACE. YEAH IT WAS MUDLICIOUS, WASN'T IT?

Just a brief report on the Holland Race today, with a few photos. I'll try to add more tomorrow (I'm having trouble transferring my own to the great Blogging Sausage Maker that spits out these posts).

Great race, wonderful course, and some really nice mud. A big ups to the designers for letting the mud do the work, and not some tricky course. Didn't need it. Two sets of long stairs and over a mile of goo where enough to let you know you had a race.

HOW MUCH IS THAT MUD IN DOLLAR$?

While you might think that racing at home is cheaper, this race proved otherwise. Here's what a day in the mud cost me ... for others it was a helluva lot more - photos tomorrow.

I'm using a photo of Brian Hancock's bike as an example of what the day had wrought; though my bike, and everybody else's bike looked about the same at the end of the day. Let's add up the damage I discovered last night.

Bottom Bracket Bearings: Grinding, gritty shot.

Wheel hub - bearings and freewheel, done.

Jockey Wheels - Finished

Chain - over and out.

White and Red Skin Suit - Stained with some kind of black oily mud (WTF did that come from?)

Other than that it was some kind of fun. Here are just a few photos, that I could grab right now, that show you just how much fun it was:

Another great Julie McGraw Photograph (she has a whole bunch of photos from the race on FaceBook). Here Nate (THE FARMER) Versluis, is imploring his FAT BIKE to get back up on its gargantuan sized wheels and keep on racing. (To which the FAT BIKE replied to the FARMER: "I've fallen and I can't get up!")

Adam McIntrye looking pretty pro as he swoops down from the top of the stadium where more mud was waiting. Why go there? Because it's a stupid cross race, that's why. Adam was racing pretty good until he lost feeling in his hands and feet (and he wasn't the only one). Yes, embrocation is warm, but it's not a fur coat. Or even a fleece jacket. Or lined gloves.

Here's some joker doing some totally f*cked up carry-style I've never seen before. Where did that idiot learn to shoulder a bike? Oh wait, that's me. Yeah I was a little half-hearted, indicated by the half-carry.

Here's where I really excel - I mean I kick ass: it's setting up some sweet Crazy Bastard digs, with a ton of junk, and warming up for like 2 hours while listening to crap Euro Trash muzak. If there was a podium for warming up, I'd be on the top step. More photos and stupid stories about this race, and the upcoming State Championships tomorrow.