Mt. Hood 1,2,3

Here are some poems about the first three stages of the Mt. Hood Cycling Classic. Well two poems actually, and a small word from Krogg. Enjoy.


Stage 1

Loops in the darkness
Around rain-covered racetrack
Four miles of fury

Treacherous corners

Await me undetected

Until it's too late

I lose all my nerve

And pull out of my turn

Grab fist-fulls of brake

Second lap faster
More importantly smoother
It's over so soon!

Results still unknown

As I drift off to dream land

Little did I know

Lang wakes before me

As consciousness dawns, "yo sam,

I think you got 8th"

Stage 2


Precious little squirrel. You probably didn't have a name -- and why would you, living your life among the trees of Mt. Tabor park? But I hope you won't mind if I give you one now, even after your life on this earth was shortened, indeed ended, brutally, last night. I think I shall name you Isabelle, little squirrel, after my first guinea pig. It's a nice name; I hope you like it. I have only used it once before, and I cared for my Isabelle deeply, so I hope you can see how much this name means to me.

Oh Isabelle, I saw you scamper 'cross our road. We were in the midst of a bike race, and safety, even that of innocent squirrels, wasn't our concern. I feared for you, Isabelle, as my mind triangulated your motion to ours. So when the rider in front of me failed to adjust his heading, and slayed you with his tire, his brutish, thirty-mile-per-hour bone crusher of a tire, I wasn't surprised. But oh how I was saddened. Murderer, I thought. This is your forrest, your park. Murderers, all of us! Your lifeless body was flung to the side of the road, the racer in front of me laughed, and I kept racing.


Stage 3

Krogg not quite know what happening. First things go good (Krogg get eighth) -- KROGG LOVE Mt. HOOD! Then things go bad (Krogg crash twice in crit) -- KROGG HATE Mt. HOOD! Then things go good again (Krogg win field sprint for second and move into 3rd in GC) -- KROGG LOVE Mt. HOOD AGAIN!!!

HERE PROOF:

(photo poached from cyclingnews via Oregon Cycling Action)

Tomorrow Krogg have time trial. Goes like this:

Start times:
11:07:00 Chris Baldwin
11:08:00 Sam Johnson
11:09:00 Paul Mach

Krogg have small message for time trialists who start near Krogg:

KROGG NOT INTIMIDATED IN THE LEAST BY THOUGHT OF CHASING DOWN MULTIPLE-TIME NATIONAL TT CHAMP, NOR IS KROGG INTIMIDATED BY DAUNTING TASK OF HOLDING OFF FORMER WINNER OF MT. HOOD CYCLING CLASSIC. NEVER-MIND SMALL DRIBBLE OF URINE ISSUING FROM KROGG'S BIB-SHORTS -- THAT MERELY SO KROGG IS LIGHTER ON CLIMBS.