I was on the trainer last night when Nick presented me with a present he brought back from ‘cross nationals. This thing is so awesomely loud. I can’t wait to bring earplugs to next season’s cross races just so I can ring the thing without going deaf. (On second thought, I might not have to wait that long. If we can get some tickets to watch the Olympic skate skiing events in Vancouver next February, this would be a great tool to jeopardize international relations.)

I can only imagine how deafening it must be to ride for 45 minutes around a course lined with people ringing these things and hitting “boom sticks” together. Oh, and don’t forget the drum corp...just because they can.

Cross racing is the closest thing we have to being on a climb at the Tour de France, with all the fans squeezed into a park instead of lining the sidelines of a Col somewhere in the Alps. Makes me almost want to try it. Almost.