Whatever Happened to Punishment Park?

Somewhat Jolly Pumpkin Series
So, what did happen to the Punishment Park and the infamous Jolly Pumpkin series? It deserves a good answer, but it won't come from here. It's not my job to make sense of things. If I can muddy up the clear pond of reason I will do so.

What Happened?
We did have two and a half rejuvenating races. Jason and Ben dominated the first two in the A's. Alex and Thien, with Paul Singlespeed always a close second, capitalized the B's. The last race, a DIRTHAMMER exclusive, transcended racing and became clouded in a lactic haze of attrition until no one was left to sort it out at the finish. No one. What race can ever top that? That ended the series as we know it.

Look Out!
It's time to look toward the future. Rich is building the course or courses of the century. (This is so cloaked in secrecy that even he's not sure what he's doing or if he's doing it.) There are more spoke gnarling twists and turns, more bravado breaking barriers, more knuckle clawing crawl ups, more axle sucking mud and sand, more precipitous off-camber treachery than any one mind, two legs, one pounding heart, and two bursting lungs can comprehend. It will take a year to complete to the satisfaction of Rich's demented standards.

In that year, the glorious 2010, we plan to return with the Punishment Park CX Pain Prep Challenge for those of you who enjoy pre-season self-imposed agony before the weekly anguish offered by the seasonally appropriate and much more official CX series. There are never enough sore muscles to go around. Or go aground.

For Now
In the meantime, ride the DIRTHAMMER on Tuesday evenings and race every CX race you can get your legs to agree to. The more miserable the weather the better.

..............................oRo...