I don't do that shit. Instead, I just ride for fun. I know I can
ride six hours this weekend, so there's no need to ride that long
just for practice. Needing a bit of a break from beating myself up
on the trail, I took a leisurely urban ride after work. We have many
miles of greenways around here, so I took the liberty of exploring
them.
The temps have cooled a little bit around here which means that
more people are getting outside for exercise. I didn't see a whole
lot of people on bikes, but there were plenty of runners. We didn't
get in each others way at all. In fact, it was nice to be out and
see everyone enjoying the outdoors.
I pushed hard up hills, but other than that I just spun along and
enjoyed being on my bike. I only took two pictures, so here's the
second one.
Exciting, I know.
When I got home it was time for the obligatory post-ride beer. I
glanced at the TV for a bit until the commercials came on. I always
turn away to keep those pesky corporations from trying to sell me
shit, but one commercial caught my attention. It was the trailer for
the new Jackass movie, Bad Grandpa.
I'm fan of the Jackass stuff, but I haven't been to a theater in
years. I usually wait until stuff comes out on video before I watch
it because I can't stand crowds or people talking during movies. I
watched the trailer anyway, because some of that movie was filmed
right here in Charlotte.
Yup.
Also, my friend and neighbor Vic The Chili Man had a spot in the film, and I was hoping some of his scene might
make it to the trailer. Out of the ones I'd seen so far, that
wasn't the case. This one however, was different. I spotted him, and luckily I was able to pause my DVR to get a snapshot.
If you look closely, you'll even see a B-43 sticker on his cart.
It's the old logo of course, since I haven't gotten with
D-Wayne to make any stickers with
the new logo.
That's kinda cool I guess. It was neat seeing my neighbor in it. I'm sure I'll make an exception to my “I don't go to the
theater” policy to see that movie (just for The Chili Man of course.)
I found a trailer online, but
it's not the one I saw on TV.
One thing that cut into my riding time over the weekend was trail building. Most people probably think that the trails they ride are built and maintained by some government entity, but that’s not the case at all. Most of the time it’s actual mountain bikers that build the trails they ride. Even though I had an opportunity to work on one of our “official” local trails, I chose to work on something else (sorry.) Yes, it’s back to my neighborhood trail.
I went out early Sunday morning, and looked over the stuff we had built already. Everything looked to be in fine shape, until I spotted one of the log rolls.
Shit. Was it vandalism? I thought for sure that the surrounding neighborhood riffraff had made an attempt to mark their territory. The damage was minimal, so it wouldn’t take much time to fix it. We weren’t quite finished with it anyway, as we had planned to return to pack some more dirt on it (we were pressed for time last week.) I later learned that The Chili Man and Junior Chili were riding over there, and Junior Chili’s small bicycle had actually clipped the top log and knocked it down. No worries, since Old Man Chili was the one that helped me build it in the first place. I packed in some more dirt and now it will last for a long time. Success.
With that little bit of maintenance out of the way, I turned my attention to phase four. I cleared the corridor of the new section, starting with a tight switchback turn that takes you back into the woods. I could envision the entire trail in my mind as I went along, but I couldn’t make the trail fast enough. About halfway through, Lunchbox showed up and I put him to work.
With his pair of trusty loppers, he trimmed all the trees around the new section. He removed a lot of stuff that would be in our way as we rode, and I didn’t really even have to tell him what to do. He rides bikes too you know, so he has a good idea what he’s doing when it comes to clearing the trail.
As we got deeper into the woods, I started seeing lots of different elevation changes on the property. This trail is gonna be so choice, but it won’t be easy. I’ve incorporated several tight switchback turns, so you’ll have to mind your p’s and q’s out there. I got a lot done in the two hours we spent out there.
The only thing left was to test ride it.
The little bit of trail we have so far is pretty freaking awesome. It flows well, but you have to stay on your toes in a few spots to avoid any mishaps. I haven't added any big features yet, but the actual trail part is really fun. So far, I’ve only been riding my singlespeed out there. There won’t be any super tough climbs, so my 32X18 gearing is perfect for it. The only thing left (other than actually finishing the trail) is to come up with a name for the place.
So far, we’ve been calling it “The Trail.” We’ve already started coming up with names for some of the features out there (more on that later), but we needed a name for the whole enchilada. After spending every day coming up with crap to put on this blog, I was having trouble coming up with anything even remotely creative. That’s when I turned to my fifteen year old son.
Me: The trail needs a name. You know, other than “The Trail.”
Lunchbox: Yup.
Me: I can’t think of anything. You got something?
Lunchbox: Yeah. What about “Captain Jim Bob’s Space Adventure”?
Me: I like it. Let’s go with that.
The name makes absolutely no sense at all. That’s okay, because it came from a wacky teenager. I haven’t told The Chili Man yet (I guess I just did), but I’m sure he will like it too. So I guess from now on we have a new moniker for our previously unnamed (or poorly named) trail project. I can’t wait to get back out there to work on it. Hell, I can wait to get back out there to ride it. When we get a little more of it finished, I can even do a few night rides. Sounds like it might be time to take The Chili Man on his first nighttime mountain biking adventure. Stay tuned.
Today’s post is all about my pal and neighbor, The Chili Man. Since he is kind of an honorary B-43 member, I’ll mention his adventures on here once in a while. He does have his own blog, but he hasn’t updated that thing in ages. Anyway, after building up a bike for him last year out of shit from my scrap heap, he’s taken quite a liking to cycling. I think his goal was to eventually compete in an XTERRA event, but he started off slow with the University City Duathlon last weekend. Lunchbox and I were there to show our support and also to volunteer, so we got to see all of the action.
Just before the race, he was getting all “limbered-up.”
Even local race promoter Neal Boyd was there. He was running the event and did a swell job.
After lengthy pre-race announcements, they were ready to go. Even though he was nervous, The Chili Man was still having a good time. He’s all about hamming it up for the camera.
We waited by the trail exit for the first run to be finished. It was a 5K run, so I figured I would see him in less than thirty minutes or so. The last leg of the run had them going up a tough hill, but that didn’t break The Chili Man’s spirit.
After a short transition, he grabbed his homemade bike and hit the road. There were a lot of serious roadies and triathlon types there, but The Chili Man was riding a mountain bike (with slick tires.) I didn’t have time to get him used to riding my road bike, or else he could have ridden it for the race. That didn’t matter though, because he was just as serious as the other participants.
It was about a twelve mile or so bike course, consisting of two loops. He’s been riding a lot, so I knew he would be okay out there. I saw lots of folks on “real” road bikes out there, and they looked like they would have a rough time on the course. The Chili Man however, would not. After what seemed like no time at all, he returned from the bike leg of the event.
The last run would be much shorter. I forgot the exact distance (and I’m too lazy to look it up), but I’m pretty sure it was less than two miles. Usually when you run after riding a bike for so long, your legs get all wonky. He said it kind of feels like that episode of Friends. I saw what he was talking about.
After waiting hardly any time at all, he returned. We had all gathered around the finish line to watch him come in and to cheer him on. He didn’t disappoint either, because he did a damn cartwheel as he crossed the line. I wasn’t expecting that, but I had the camera out anyway to catch the landing.
I would’ve busted my ass for sure.
When it was all said and done, he finished his first duathlon better than he thought he would. In fact he ended up in fourth place in his class. Not too bad for a rookie. He had fun, and definitely entertained everyone that was there (that is what he does best.) I’m proud of him, and I hope to see him enter a few more races. In fact, I’ve been trying to talk him into some mountain bike races, but we’ll see how that goes.
I have a really busy weekend coming up, so I will hopefully have lots to talk about when I come back next week. Why don’t you come back and see what happened? I’ll be here, and you should be too.
On Sunday, we loaded up the bikes and headed over to the U.S. National Whitewater Center for some mountain bike goodness. It would be the second time in three days that I got to ride there, but this time I brought along an extra person. Yep, the The Chili Man would finally get out on a real trail.
Lunchbox and I rounded up Mr. Chili Man and got ready to test his limits on a mountain bike. He’s been to the Whitewater Center before, but that was years and years ago. I think it was around the time that they invented the mountain bike, but I could be wrong. This time though, he had a really good reason: He’s thinking of participating in the XTERRA Whitewater this year, and wanted to scope out the course. Lunchbox and I were happy to oblige. I knew it was going to be a good day, since I spotted the coincidence number on the front page of our local newspaper:
It wasn’t a breakneck pace by any means, especially since my legs were a little tired from riding in the Uwharries looking for Bigfoot the day before. He had to see what the trail was like though, so we really didn’t take it easy on him. Even though it was wearing him out, he was still having a blast.
We rode most of the options, at least until he started getting tired. Getting tired on a mountain bike will make you do stupid things (like crashing), so I was all about skipping some of the extra stuff. Lunchbox didn’t mind it either, since he was just out there to have fun on his 29er.
Yes, I was there, but I was the one taking the photos. I could have given the camera to Lunchbox while we were standing around, but I didn’t think about it. It would have been a good idea, especially since I took off up Goat Hill while those two chatted away until my return. I had to get in some “training time”, so they didn’t mind the wait. Besides, if The Chili Man didn’t have the legs to climb Goat Hill at that very moment, at least he could watch me do it to see how difficult it would be.
After completing the main loop and most of the options, it was time to exit the trail. Since I am so freakin’ fast, I had a chance to setup the camera to grab a shot of The Chili Man on his final descent from the trail:
While I was standing there, I noticed this sign:
They must have known that The Chili Man was out riding that day. Maybe that sign is a good idea for any trail he might ride in the future.
It was another good day on the bike, with awesome weather. We stopped during and after the ride to go over the swim course, and I think that The Chili Man knows what he’s up against now when he goes out for the XTERRA. I found something that could give him an advantage during the swim though, if he’s interested.
Yeah, he can keep his beer in there and it will help him float along the river.
It won’t be easy, but he’s more determined than ever to get ready for it. As for me, I’m just determined to ride as much as possible while the weather is nice. Not a lofty goal, but at least I have one.
I’ll be back tomorrow with some kind of crap and nonsense. You can bet your ass on that one.
I love that video. Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, I’m talking about last Sunday. Two days after The Accident, and I was already going crazy from being off the bike. With all of this beautiful weather, it was hard to hang around the house in an attempt to heal myself. I couldn’t stand it anymore, so I decided to take a chance and go for a ride.
Last week I had already planned to ride for three days straight (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday), but my McRib action put a screeching halt to that shit. I already told you that I bailed on the ride at the Kerr Scott Trail System, and I was pretty disappointed. Sunday was supposed to be a ride with The Chili Man, his youngin’, and Lunchbox at Sherman Branch, and I didn’t want to miss that one either.
You see, The Chili Man is trying to get hooked on this whole mountain biking thing, and I had offered to take him on an easy ride on the trail Sunday morning. He knew of my injury, and probably would have understood if I cancelled the ride. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to go out on the trail at a nice easy pace, and it might even keep me from going crazy. I decided to go, and we loaded up our bikes and headed out on that chilly morning.
We got to the trail, and I didn’t feel too bad. All I had to do was cruise along at an easy pace and keep myself upright. Usually that’s not a problem, but I didn’t want to take any chances. We headed out on the trail, and I hoped that I had made the right decision. I took it easy, and grabbed a few photos along the way:
You may notice that The Chili Man isn’t riding his custom spare parts bike that I built for him. After riding around on “better” bikes than his da udda day, I offered up my squishy bike, Goose. I would let my little-wheeled full suspension Diamondback Sortie 3 be his “Wingman in the woods.” He seemed to enjoy the comfort of the quality Fox suspension, and I was glad to let him take it for a spin. Anything to get someone hooked on this shit, you know?
We rode along, and I was pretty much pain free. Well, one little jump jarred my ribcage a bit, and I also banged my freshly scabbed over knee on my handlebars once. I made sure to play it safe after that. Well, as safe as I am capable of playing it anyway. When we came to my favorite feature out there (the giant log skinny), I gave our little riding group (and some curious onlookers) a demonstration. While I know it’s not wise to attempt such a thing with an injury like I have, I did it anyway. So much for playing it safe.
Speaking of playing it safe, The Chili Man was having none of that. He jumped the jumps, and hit all of the features on our little trail adventure. He even did this wooden roller coaster Loch Ness monster-looking thing without even stopping to eye it up first. I didn’t get any photos of it, since it caught me by surprise. I asked him to do it again, but he declined. Good call. The next stop at the log skinny was a little different.
Yeah, he really wanted to do it. For someone that’s supposed to be a beginner mountain biker, he sure had some balls. I waited with the camera (and my first aid knowledge) for him to try it, but it never happened. I know he really wanted to do it, but it was probably better that he didn’t. I know he’s kicking himself in the ass for not trying it, but he can always get back out there any time for another go. As for me, I decided that I wanted to temp fate and give it another shot:
Who needs time to heal? Not me, I guess.
We rode the trail to the end, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I jetted up ahead to snap a “group shot”:
Even though it probably didn’t seem like a great idea, I was glad to get out on my bike. The fact that The Chili Man came along was a bonus. We didn’t ride very fast, but it was still a whole lotta fun. I’ll take it easy from now on though, I promise. At the very least, I’ll take the rest of the week off from the bike, but I doubt I’ll stay off of it this weekend. It’s fall around here, which means good weather. As long as I don’t “fall” for a while, then I should be just fine.
Today’s post will be a break from the normal crap and nonsense that goes on around here (well, a little anyway.) What could be better than me whoring myself out to sponsors, struggling through races, and breaking every part on my bicycle that I possibly can? Well my friends, it can only be one thing: The Tarheel Trailblazers Kids Ride. This past Sunday, the ride was held at Sherman Branch, on what would turn out to be a beautiful day.
Lunchbox and I arrived on the scene, and to our surprise we saw a fan favorite in the parking lot. I say surprise because I had no idea that this guy would be in attendance. It’s always nice when he joins us for a ride, but even nicer when he comes out to help the kids. I quickly grabbed the camera to capture our special friend, The Dirty Party Cycle:
Soon after we greeted each other, the kids starting showing up. It’s been real hot over the summer here in Charlotte, so the turnout was pretty dismal for the last few rides we held. In fact, I had taken a little hiatus from the Kids Rides until the weather cooled off a bit. Today was one of those days, with temps in the low 80’s.
We gathered everyone up, and I gave the pre-ride talk. I introduced everyone to Lunchbox, our ride leader. Just before the ride started, I had everyone pose for a group shot:
Take a look at the kid right in the middle of the group (with the long flowing hair.) He was yet another special guest. Who is he? Well, he’s not just some random kid with a bicycle that I grabbed off the side of the road (that would be illegal I think.) No, he’s actually the son of the famous Chili Man. Yep. We convinced Sir Chili and his better half to let us kidnap his youngin’ for the day to introduce him to mountain biking. As we headed out for the ride, he seemed to get the hang of it real quick:
We don’t just ride bikes in the woods for these Kids Rides. We stop at various features along the trail and let the kids try them out. This little jump was very popular, and we hung out there for a while:
You know Lunchbox is still a kid, even though he’s man-size:
Junior Chili Man pushed his fear aside and gave it a shot:
The next stop was a little log rollover thingy, and the kids just had to conquer this one too:
Of course the “big kids” stood by as spotters:
After riding the features, we gathered up the group to keep going:
Lunchbox gets ready to resume the ride:
When we were near the end, I hurried to the front of the line to grab some photos of the group on their way out:
Junior Chili Man was still having fun:
Even the Dirty Party Cycle got in touch with his “inner child”:
Yet another successful Kids Ride, as you can plainly see. I really enjoy these rides. Like I’ve said in the past, these Kids Rides are more fun than any race I’ve ever done. Just watching these little ones tear it up puts a smile on my face. These guys and gals are the future of our sport, so it’s good to see them out there learning from the more experienced riders. Now, if I could only keep them from learning any of my bad racing habits…
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