The Best Race I Didn't Do

I've been busy again.  Work stuff and all that.  Blah, blah, blah.  Last week, I told you that we had a race coming up at Fisher Farm for the North Carolina Interscholastic Cycling League.  Well, that's what I spent my weekend doing (and this week recovering.)  I worked harder all weekend than I do a whole week at my real job, and this stuff is much more fulfilling.

Yes, it's that cool.

Saturday.  Get up early, drive thirty minutes up the road and meet the rest of the race crew.  I spent most of the day getting my stuff ready for the next day, then the rest of the time I was out on the course to make sure everything was safe and the marshal points were marked.  It was hard work, but at least I was on my bike.

I ended up staying late, not getting home until 9:00 p.m.  That wouldn't have been to bad normally but I had to get up even earlier the next day.

Sunday.  Race day.  The alarm went off a little before 6:00 a.m., which for some reason seems extra early on a Sunday.  I roll into Fisher Farm right at 7:00 a.m. and immediately started making new friends.

I was still sorta asleep when I got there, but the 32 ounces of high octane coffee I drank finally kicked in and I was suddenly full of energy.

Radios.  I haz.  ALL OF THEM.  Photo cred:  Mike L.

The first race doesn't go off until 9:30 a.m., but I was crazy busy getting my stuff together.  A big part of my day was training the course marshals...

Before I knew it, my folks were out on the course and the waves of racers started going out.  I was busy communicating with my peeps on the radio, and the only "action" I saw all day was mostly from a distance.

Another long day.  It was successful though.  We're making history here in North Carolina and I'm happy to be a part of it.  After the awards and all that, we broke the course down and reflected on what we'd all accomplished.

And then I found a whole tray of pickles among the leftover foodz.

Which I promptly gave to Eastwood...

Because he loves pickles more than blogging (which he used to do once upon a time.)

What an awesome weekend.  I'm still tired from it.  And I wouldn't change that for anything.

Luckily we have another one coming up in less than two weeks.  Maybe I write another blog post before then.  Maybe I don't

Skills On The Farm

Saturday, I had the pleasure of helping out our local women’s mountain bike club, the Dirt Divas with another one of their skills clinics at Fisher Farm Park in Davidson.  I enjoy these very much, and any chance I get to help out I will (I guess it helps that Little Miss Sunshine was leading this particular one.)

We had a pretty good turnout of ladies and Dirt Dudes (as we are affectionately called.)  We hit different areas of the trail to work on some of the features, and after giving a quick demonstration we let the ladies get at it (we spotted them of course.)

  

The photos are blurry, I know, but at least you can see the Maxxis logo on the little lady’s tire.

The ladies are real encouraging towards each other, and we really don’t have to do much other than catch them if they start to fall.  Even though we hit each feature first, they don’t really feel like they can do it until the other ladies get them going.  Sometimes they get pushed beyond their comfort zones…

And with cheering from the other women they do just fine.

I mean who the hell would want to try something with just a bunch of creepy dudes standing around watching?

It was a good day.  Fisher Farm is a great place to work on this sort of thing, with all the features out there.  There’s nothing too advanced or anything, and with a little practice you can ride it all.  It has a good mix of terrain, structures, and other goodies, so tat makes it my favorite place to help with a clinic by far.

Thanks to the Divas for letting us help out.

There are some features out there that are creepier than us dudes though.

Or maybe it’s us dudes that make it creepy.

Um.  Yeah.

At least no one saw that.  Except you. 

Shhhhhhhh.

Just Hanging Around

Sorry.  I guess I still had some vacation photos left.  Anyway, the weekend was pretty uneventful for the most part.  I was on call for work, so I couldn't go too far.  Saturday, was shitty and full of rain, so I drove around town  shopping for camping supplies (more on that maybe next week.)  After that, it was off to The Cycle Path to hang out.

Yup, I hung out in a bike shop all day.

I didn't really feel like being out in the rain on my bike, so I didn't.  Besides, after all the traveling I've done lately it was nice to take a break.  At least I was around bikes yesterday.

Race number two of the  2014 Charlotte Youth Cycling League was held at Fisher Farm.  I was there to help, which to me is a lot better than riding sometimes.  Since the trails were still wet from rain the day before, the course was setup in the field, cyclocross style.

The kids didn't seem to mind, and other than the strong winds kicking like Bruce Lee, they were having a good time.  Watching those kids give it all they had and still having fun really makes me think about how I can do the same.

You can work hard on the bike and still have a smile on your face when it's all over.  I guess I still have a lot to learn.

Helping out at the kid's race was definitely the most fun I had over the weekend. Sure, I can't wait to get back on the trail (and even up in the hills), but sometimes it's better to give back.

It's not always about me.  Don't worry though, tomorrow will be.

Way Too Nice To Ride

Well, to ride a road bike. I wasn’t about to waste my time riding on the road, despite the fact that I had little time to waste. I stayed up a little too late Friday night watching Star Wars, so I slept in a bit too long Saturday morning. It wasn’t a big deal, since it was in the 30’s outside anyway. When I finally left the house for Fisher Farm, it had warmed up a bit. Well, kinda.



When I got to the trail, I was ready to ride. Well, until I got out of my warm truck. It was still in the 40’s, and I brought plenty of stuff to wear. When I finally got dressed, I felt like ten pounds of shit stuffed into five pound bag. Up top I had a long-sleeved base layer, arm warmers, and a Twin Six jersey. On the bottom I had baggy shorts, knee warmers, and wool socks. I was still shivering for some reason, but I thought that I would warm up quickly. I just had to hurry up and get going.




Did I mention that I brought my singlespeed? I needed to work hard on the trail, so having only one gear would assure that I couldn’t take it easy out there. Even though I was a little cold, I got going and hoped I would warm up quickly. It was such a nice day out there, it didn’t take long for me to forget that I was cold.



So this is what it feels like to be a mountain bicyclist. It’s been so long since I had a good jaunt in the woods that I almost forgot. I really should do this kind of thing more often. My bike even seemed to be happy out there.





I did a few laps out there (basically until I got bored.) I wasn’t tearing it up (lap time-wise), but I made sure to push myself. I mashed up the climbs, and once again realized why I built up a singlespeed bike. I guess I’ll ask Santa for some upgrades for it. Until then, I’ll still ride it a bunch.

I’ve been neglecting my geared bike, but it’s not going away for good. In fact, I just have it a nice bath. Hopefully really soon I’ll put on the new tires that George sent me. I just can’t seem to find enough time to do everything. I can’t wait until winter is over, but it only the beginning. Damn it.

Back on the Farm

I can’t believe it. Yesterday was the third day in a row that I’ve been out on my bike. Of course I mentioned yesterday that we had the Tarheel Trailblazers Kids Ride on Sunday. However, I’ve been able to get in a few lunchtime rides in this week as well. Monday I made it over to North Meck, and yesterday I had a chance to ride a place that I hadn’t been to in a while, Fisher Farm.



North Meck is easy for me to get to from work, so I thought I would be destined to ride it every day until I was sick of it. Yesterday however, was different. I happened to be in the area, and had my bike with me, so I said, “What the hell, I’ll hit Fisher.” Since I would be riding solo, I tried to think about what I would write on here, trying to choose my words carefully since I didn't have anyone to take photographs.


The temperature was a perfect 65 degress when I arrived in the parking lot. I quickly changed into my riding gear and hopped on the bike. The beginning of the trail is a quick and twisty descent, and I enjoyed every second of it. I quickly forgot about the daily grind of work and enjoyed a beautiful day outside. I hadn’t been to Fisher Farm since last October, and I was happy to be there again. It is well worth the trip for anyone. I am fortunate that I could ride it during “working hours” and have the trail all to myself.


As I rode along, I started to think about ways that I could get some “action shots” while I was on the trail. I knew that I couldn't rely on just words, since I suck at it, even making some grammatical errors on purpose (I'm sure you knew that already.) When I came across one of the trail features, I saw a nice little tree stump that was just begging for me to let it hold my camera. “I’ll get a photo of you”, I imagined the stump saying. I said, “Sure thing Mr. Stump.” And with that imaginary conversation I planned my photo opportunity. I set up the camera and set the timer, having it take four photos in succession. I pushed the button and hurried to the top of the hill. I only had thirty seconds, so I wanted to make sure it counted. Off I went:






Okay, so the last one didn’t have too much action, unless you consider looking at my crotch some kind of action. You just looked again, didn’t you? That little ramp thingy is one of my favorite features out there, mostly because it is at the start of another long twisty descent filled with funitude. If only I could do this every day.


I did a few laps out there, and called it quits. After all, I had to get back to work. While most of my coworkers (and probably yours too) like to sit around and stuff themselves on their lunch break, I prefer to be active. I guess that makes me seem a little crazy to them, but I don’t mind that label. Besides, it’s a great way to break up the work day, and I’m doing my body a favor by keeping active. Who says you have to eat lunch on your lunch break anyway? Get out and do something, you lazy bastards. See y’all tomorrow.