Stoicism. It is a word unknown to most people, but a philosophy quoted often. “Stay calm, carry on” “God grant me the serenity…” “when life give you lemons…” are read often enough on Facebook. It’s a sound philosophy, that dictates when life gets hard, one must become harder. For whatever reason, many of my friends and myself have been struck by vehicles whilst cycling. Though we have varying degrees of pain and suffering, I hope that all of you can learn to keep your head about you.

A dark and stormy night awaited 20 cyclists who braved the wet and serpentine roads of the Forest.  Ryan Shanahan won the overall at 21:09  with Jon Jacobs in hot pursuit 10 seconds later!  Tyler Hart was the first Merckx rider and Chelsea Sanders won the women’s category.  Nice work to all that attended.  Results attached.

I had fun tonight at the Wednesday Worlds and I was glad to have been there.  You’ll hear why in a moment.  It’s late and I am  a little drunk.  That’s the befit of an Italian heritage.  I’ve been doing a lot of the cooking at home.  Sautéing onions and garlic in olive oil, grilling chicken with a glass of Pinot Noir while I watch Anderson Cooper and the nightly news…. We had to change course today due to the chip and seal on one of our favorite courses; 446 and Knightridge.  Yesterday Andy Messer, a notable participant tonight, sent me a message about the road conditions.  I took the initiative to review the course last night before dark on my motorcycle.   The beauty of the moto is that you can actually get a feel for the conditions so much more so than in a car.  So I hustled out to Knightridge from my office after work.  Upon my inspection, I determined that the course was unsafe and unrideable .  On Twitter, I suggested an alternative course or two. More on that later.