On my visit to Cambridge during the summer I learned about all of the special measures to keep commoners from getting near the college buildings. But as a big fan of cyclocross this sign offended me. Do not cycle dismount? Then how will we get up the stairs? Do not cycle dismount was probably what many were thinking at Superprestige Zonhoven with those two super sand drops. Vurpfest indeed!

I am annoyed as usual, this time from catching a lovely magsjuka from someone at work and spending my extra hour this weekend with massive stomach pain. I didn't feel good today until I had a bottle of Enervit which replenished all those minerals and good stuff I have lost. No training at all this week equals not good. Something has to change.

Just like I said, the chance of making it to CX training this morning was extremely low. The hangover is pretty mild but I am pretty stiff after this karate stuff. And obviously the kicking stuff made me wonder why on earth I was out cycling in the morning using the same thigh muscles. But it is good that I did since all I will manage today is a walk.

Most of the people I work with are women and that presents a problem in kampsport things. I just can't hit a woman, even if this was supposed to be for fun and play fighting. But women have no problem whatsoever with hitting men. So I had my ass kicked completely and all I could do is just stand there and dodge. My superkondition helps with that but sooner or later you are going to get kicked, punched or slapped.

So the damage report is this...stiff thigh muscles (probably the cycling), some general non-specific muscle fatigue, a slash mark on my arm from some sharp fingernails and completely bruised and shot knuckles because after awhile I just gave up and went to the punching bag in the corner. But by some very strange bit of fate, my shoulder actually feels better than usual...

Over the last couple of days things have started to work out. I will get to visit my family and not have to do this in December so I can still race at our MCK CX race and also help out. What has changed? Well, I just stopped caring about when my car will arrive. I will get it eventually.

So to save money on spas and things I went on my MTB this morning and collected a whole pile of mud from my usual hill route. Why a nice relaxing MTB ride? Well, tonight the head of our group is hosting a party and karate night out in Bollebygd. Everyone talks about this massive house so I have to see it even though I know it will lead to new and exciting forms of träningsvärk and holes in my pants when I kick.

I am making no promises about CX in Skatås tomorrow morning because tonight will involve beer and, as usual, that will become wine and eventually a fine cognac. So maybe tomorrow afternoon I will take my morning cross training...

I am happy to say that my head is back to normal so it is time for some cycling again. Yesterday, just to get in the mood, I was surfing looking at various cykelporr for 2012 products and there are lots of exciting things to spend all of my money on.

But one thing was disturbing...Cyclecomponents is not selling Ridley. Where did they go? Is CykelCity selling them again or? It would be a shame if this wonderful brand were no longer for sale in Sweden. Judging from the number of Google hits on this site after 'Ridley X-Ride' searches, the demand is there. I have a company...I can sell them if no one else will. I can be fair with my prices. And we could certain use some 4ZA components or wheels.

Yesterday I went for a nice walk. Walks are safe. Well, in theory. Truth is I am now admitting the fact that I am very clumsy when I am not on my bike. I am constantly tripping over stairs and things so I guess it is not the least bit surprising that I tripped over a step while lifting the bike. Anyway, my head seems fine now so I can cautiously return to the bike again.

And back to another recurring theme, my new car continues to mess up my plans. The arrival date is now set to v51 which is not the 'early December' they promised. And I have to pay for the dubbdäck. For the most part these details are irrelevant for cycling except that this potentially changes my plan to visit Canada over Christmas. Work deadlines in January mean I can't delay the trip a bit and the delivery of the car precisely at Christmas means I may need to take the holiday early. That would mean December and missing MCKs own race which is a real shame. So the saga continues...

My head seemed to be back to normal again but right now it is seriously strange. I am lucky enough to not get many headaches but this one I have right now is unique. I might have to waste money on a Vårdcentralen visit afterall even though I already have plenty of painkillers leftover from my last visit there.

Ja ja...things were going very well there for a few weeks. I certainly enjoyed the euphoria stage of CX season when it is just nice to rediscover this wonderful sport and my Ridley X-Ride. I'll be back as they say in B-movies...

No matter how much I try and convince myself that Saturday's head-banging was mild, I can't ignore the fact that I still have a headache. So it is definitely a hjärnskakning. Fy fan for 2011!

But what this does mean is I can enjoy some of those guilty pleasures of B-popkultur. You know, those 'It's so bad that it's good' things like Snakes on a Plane or Paradise Hotel. At work they say that only people with brain damage read Camilla Läckberg. Now is my chance to see what they mean...

Yesterday became a bit more exciting than I was hoping for. Like I said I tripped and fell forwards and thought that my MTB flap took most of the hit. But after lunch I had this pretty unspecific headache and felt kind of off. So immediately I thought hjärnskakning and made an effort to be out all afternoon around people in case I fell over or something. Sitting home alone would have been bad.

There is still something there this morning but it is better. Still, this is scary. Every time I try and challenge my 2011 curse it ends in yet another injury. I am unfortunately pretty close now to just forgetting the year, joining the gym and using my bikes as training tools and race again next year.

Sorry for a negative inlägg. I had no choice.

Since everyone has a blog now, one has to be catchy with titles. Öijer, for example, is writing in French. And I am just swearing. But there will be no ass pictures here, even with grass.

Sometimes completely unplanned CX passes are the best and today was a fine example of that. I started right in Partille C around that slott on the hill which is surrounded by a lovely grass field which needed more tire tracks. There was one trail already but with some creativity it became a 'rundbana of death' quite quickly. I had a slippery grus path with a dismount spot and then 3 steps which became slightly too exciting on my second lap when I stumbled a bit and hit handlebar. Most of the force went to my MTB 'tree guard' which is, of course, a big no no in cross but today I am rather happy I had it. Anyway, I kept going and slowed down a lot in these difficult parts.

In a race situation I tend to fall apart at these obstacles and remounts so instead of being a psycho constantly I will take it easy at these obstacles and be a psycho for the rest of the time. Mistakes at the obstacles cost 15 seconds at least but remaining focused will work. At least for me. Anyway, I continued with some hill running and generally messing up random grass spots along Säveån. But the bike was clean so 'messing up' was not the case at all. Wild grass can take this.

So then it was time to finish up at Sävecrossen and the wet grass of death. There is a hill at the Puketorp bus stop which is sort of half mud and half bad grass which is the ultimate test of technique. 5 laps of this meant 2 cases of sliding but still making it up and the last time I got stuck but overall I do have some power still. This left my bike and my ass covered in grass and mud so my newly-clean apartment is now back to normal again...into the shower with the cross and spread the mud around the hallway. It would not be home without this...

Another busy week is done and I was about to eat and drink my way through the weekend to achieve a complete state of 'oform' just in time for my Cup premiere. My friends in Sthlm caught some nasty magsjuka and cancelled so suddenly my weekend is free for CX training. Unexpected but very good.

Now there was that little matter of tubdäck...

Nej, I am not trying to sneak in dubbdäck for my bike. More just to formally announce my actual top secret hush hush superplan for CX Cupen. Nja, maybe not so superplan but at least I will do a few races.

I plan to race Sunne because it sounds like they have taken to the Belgian spirit and are keen on making a great track for us. I admire Söderköping for that but I won't make it there this year. Then my next race will be Kristianstad and the SM in Åstorp. I will skip over Lund and then make an effort at Värnamo/Borås but will probably just settle for Borås only so it will be easier with travel and hotels. And by Lidköping and our superfinal I should have my car.

So at the best it will mean 7 cup races and gubb-SM which is just fine for a year like this. Right, so now I should be switching my attention to gluing issues...

I have this habit of taking the same rides over and over and over and over so today it was time to break the cycle. Fan...that was almost Göteborgsk. ;) Hisingen makes most people think of gang violence and gubb cycling but I decided to be brave and give it a chance. Today Chris Cross actually left the east side...

I needed something sturdy so again the MTB got some mil. I still believe that at this stage of general okondition any distans on any bike is good for my legs. 2 hours and 45 minutes worth was very good. It started with Säveån along to Kviberg and through Gamlestaden across the Marieholmen train bridge. Anyone that has ever ridden this last stretch knows that it is a depressing industrial area one rides through very fast just to get to anything nicer. And just on the Hisingen side that nicer part appeared. Jaha? Trees! Autumn colours! Najs!

Next I headed over to Backaplan which we all know is depressing but then a bit farther you hit Kvillebäcken which is a lovely hidden spot between two highways. And then we have the highlight of the area...Ramberget! Slight serpentine feel to this hill which was not really that steep compared to Partille but still I can imagine a GP race here. At the top the view was, well, foggy so I saw nothing. But the whole city was there somewhere.

Passed more depressing highrise and then I hit Wieselgrensplatsen which is kind of cool in that 1950s DDR architecture kind of way. After that there were lots of houses. Also najs. I decided to ride up to Tuve which I overshot by a bit but ended up there eventually. My plan was to explore Hisingsparken but instead, apparently I ended up at Volvo and back on Björlandavägen which means I rode completely around it. I guess I missed the actual hood so I will just have to take another trip...

It looks like yesterday was a fun day in Falun. One wonders if that Öijer vurpa in the snow was payback for using the same course as last year except for that snow bit. But it was a great training for Ludvika so I am not complaining.

Yesterday I was pretty busy with other stuff so my cycling didn't start until after 17.00. So it was one of those romantic sunset rides...yes, nothing says romance like a man in tight shorts. =) I don't really prefer this time for riding since everyone tends to give me a WTF look so I just collected a lot of those looks around Skatås and up some hills around Östra. But right now it is time for a longer venture...