Merry Christmas, bicycle man!

It's that time of year again; mall traffic, sugary treats, commercials and advertisements talking about the newest gadgets and why we have to have them, and the threat that a fat guy with a beard won't commit mass home invasions while we sleep to give us said gadgets if we've been naughty.

I'm not here to preach to anyone what "the real meaning of Christmas" is, but this year was the best example of what the most stripped-down version of such a potentially commercial holiday is really about. Some of you know that my dad has abandoned our family. For the record, I'm not going for pity points here, no one liked him anyway and we're all better off. It's left me to spend the day with the only members of my family that I deem "normal," if you can call us that.

For our family in years passed, and many others across the country, Christmas morning was just the way the television portrays it, whether it's a heart-warming family special, a disfunctional foray of Griswold-like antics, or some balance of the two. This year, and perhaps like many families across the country, during such harsh economic times, there was no early morning rush down the stairs to see what Santa had left us, no gift opening ceremony, no church service, and no table with twelve place settings. Instead, it was sleeping in, enjoying a ham & egg breakfast and pot of flavored coffee with my mom, going to the movies, and not seeing my brother until he woke up at 2pm.

I had given up on going to church years ago for my own reasons. What's worse than not going at all, in my opinion, is only going on Christmas and Easter. I have come to terms with my relationship with God, and I pray anywhere and anytime. Last night, I decided to attend my own personal midnight mass by going out for a bike ride. I had noticed that the manger scenes set up at various locations were sans baby Jesus, until after Christmas day. I was curious as to who was responsible for placing Him there and when it actually took place, but by the time I made my way around town, minutes after midnight, He had already miraculously arrived. As I neared home, I passed a corner bar with a crowd of smoke-emitting youths standing out front. I kept my eyes straight and braced myself for whatever drunken insults that were about to be hurled my way, when suddenly one of them yelled out, "Merry Christmas, bicycle man!" I gave a couple flicks of my ringabell and returned his well wishes.

Something else that was out of the ordinary for our family in past Christmas traditions was that we had never gone to the movie theater, as I had found that more people than I originally thought actually participate in. Such was the case when I saw that the parking lot looked like the mall the night before. I had seen a preview for the movie "Up in the Air" and was still not quite sure what it was about, but the critics said it is the best movie of the year. Since it's still 2009, I decided it was a worthy claim, since Hollywood had 11 months to do better. It had nothing really to do with Christmas, but rather did have a large bit to do with the sad truth that thousands of Americans had lost their jobs in the last couple years, which relates to me directly. It also had a bit to do with love and relationships, and I liked the message they sent, which relates to me indirectly. I don't know about best movie of the year, but I do recommend it. It stars George Clooney, whom my grandma thinks I share a striking resemblance.

I can smell the scent of turkey and sweet potatoes rising from the kitchen, two floors below, to my old room, which used to be the attic, where I sit now at the desk that used to be mine, before the computer that now belongs to my brother. In a few minutes, I will be seated with the two members of my family that I love the most. Maybe we will lament the fact that it's just we three, but it will only be in passing as we laugh about how no one there is drunk enough to throw a plate of food like a frisbee and make everyone else at the table uncomfortable. Here's to the best Christmas ever and the only real gifts that should matter to anyone, the love for the people in our lives who matter the most to us.

Merry Christmas

P'burg

This was the final race of the NJ Cyclocross Cup series and my last race of the season. One last chance to correct all my previous mistakes and go for the gusto one more time. The course was perhaps the most technical of the series which gave me an immediate edge. I've found the "roadies" have a great deal of trouble negotiating roots, off camber turns, and mud, but for anyone with a mountain biking background it's a cake walk.

Last week I made the mistake of busting out way too strong and blowing up on the first lap, having not saved anything for later and never fully recovering before the race ended. This time, I knew to sit back near the front, but not in front, and wait until the leaders began to crack before making a move. I started in the front row, but eased back to about 12th for the first lap, keeping an eye on the big guns. If they attacked, I'd be ready. By the end of lap 2, guys ahead of me began fading and I started moving forward without even riding faster, but by then my body was ready to ramp things up anyway. I had seen where on the course I could make up time and I was feeling stronger by the minute. I began sprinting on the short straights, picking up a second here and a second there.

All the racers in the top ten were fierce competitors who came from different cycling disciplines; some roadies, some time trialists, and some mountain bikers. Spots were being traded everywhere. Roadies outran guys on the flats only to be overtaken by mountain bikers on the corners. Alex Belgiovine of Westwood Cycle, a TT'er, gets the medal of honor if you ask me. He definitely had the fitness engine to spank everyone in the C field at every race, but succumbed to crashes and technical problems that kept him off the podium. He was my favorite competition all season and I wish him some better luck next year so he can finish up front where he belongs. After some trouble today, we ended up finishing 8th and 9th and it was a pleasure to cross the finish line with him.

I'm sad the season is over. Since it's my first year of CX, I only just got to know these guys and will miss the scene around the races each week. Today is the hardest day since the 2010 'cross season is as far away as it could be. See you all next year in the B's!

Am I out of focus? Or was I just going too fast?

Finally Jdog and I have a legitimate battle!

Angelo about to pass me and continue on to a podium. Nice job!

The steepest run-up I've ever seen.

The turn of death! My little brother couldn't get enough of the carnage that went on here!

Smiling because we just decided to go to Fudd's. And it was snowing!

It was sticking on top of Jugtown Mountain, but not anywhere else unfortunately.

My victory dance.

Bros.

After we were done eating (actually after Anthony inhaled his burger in 5 seconds and watched me eat for the next half hour), we went for the Air Hockey Best of Three Championship of the Universe. I won of course. Here's some video footage of my game winning goals of games one and two.