Work Hard And Play When I Can

Day one of the Santos Fat Tire Festival was crazy.  I figured that day two would be just as busy, but maybe I would have a little down time here and there.  It wasn't much, but when there was time I grabbed my bike and took a lap on the skills course right across from the DeFeet booth.

I also brought my guitar...

I was actually really busy first thing in the morning.  I didn't think I would be at first since there was a huge ride going on (The Epic 50.)  It seemed like every time I picked up my guitar, someone showed up to look at (and buy) socks.  I didn't mind at all.  Once the riders started coming in though, the booth got busier.  Even some of the Jax crew showed up (and brought me a beer present.)

And that's when Punky took of photo of me actually working.

Or talking to Joe about his Wizard Staff.  Whatever.

Then later on a couple of the Jax boys got a tandem and rode by...

Day two was a blur.  Lots of friends stopped by and socks were flying off the table.  When the day was over, we had some beer and planned our night.  We all decided to head back out to Harry's Juicy Meats for some more steak.  We had a huge group so they had to seat us at two different tables.  We started playing pranks on each other, and somehow a round of non-alcoholic beer was brought to our table.

I drank mine.  It was nasty.  Who gives a shit.

Many real beers were consumed though, and lots of food as well.  I tried to get the crew to visit Ocala's Number One Strip Club (there's only one) but they declined.  Luckily, someone had a better idea.

Twistee Treat.  A Florida tradition.

As we hung out enjoying our ice cream, we were stuck in what seemed like a Fast and Furious movie.  We watched at those little cars (with their people) got kicked out of the parking lot next door.  Since they weren't there anymore to make asses out of themselves, we had to.

I don't even remember who took this photo.  Joel maybe?  Sorry.

Still unable to convince anyone to check out that car wreck of a strip club (I don't normally do such things) I headed off to bed to get ready for day three.  With Daylight Savings in full effect, I had a hard time dragging my ass outta bed (mebbe the beer did that too.)  After a quick breakfast I was ready to go though.  That might be because I avoided the Ocala Horse Sausage.

Yuck.

As soon as I got back to Santos, I setup and socks were going like crazy again.  My favorite part was the couple that stopped by to show off some DeFeet socks that they said were twenty years old.

They last almost forever.  Excellent.

Besides selling (and talking about) socks, I received many more beer presents.  I was happy.

A couple of rides on the skills course and the pump track was all I managed to get in, but I killed it for DeFeet out there.  Day three went by super fast and before I knew it, people were heading out.

We packed up and left too, but not before we had one last dinner in Ocala.

Nope, not there.  But I was intrigued.  I needed real food (and moar beer) so we hit up a good local spot that didn't have the potential of rape.

We said goodbye to our Charleston crew and Little Miss Sunshine and I headed north.  But not to North Carolina.  We had another stop to make first...

Yeah.  Tomorrow.

Fat Tire Florida

Last week, I got the hell outta town and headed down to Florida for the Santos Fat Tire Festival.  No trip to Florida would be complete wihtout some alligators, so I came prepared...

We got into town and checked into our hotel for the weekend and immediately headed out to dinner with a whole mess of people (including indoor mountain bike park legend Ray.  I had one of the best steaks I've ever had in the sleepy little town of Ocala, but I didn't photograph it.  Hell, I didn't take any photos of the restaurant either.  Around the corner though, I found another restaurant that made me smile.

Lunchbox has his own restaurant down there I guess.  He is from the Sunshine State, you know.

Speaking of Lunchbox, I was down there in Florida this time for a reason.  I was working for DeFeet at the festival, selling the best socks in the world.  More important than just selling socks though, I was spreading the good word about them to anyone that would listen (it's called marketing, folks.)  That's right, I went down there to work.  It didn't feel like work though since I love doing it and I am pretty damn passionate about my favorite cycling company from the hills of North Carolina.

Anyway, Friday morning we headed out to the Santos Trail to setup, and I must say that I had my booth looking pretty damn good.

And since we were in Florida (and I already had an alligator with me) I did some "special" marketing specific to my location.

The festival didn't start until noon on Friday, but I was busting my ass selling socks and talking about DeFeet.  My favorite part was seeing the socks I'd sold getting put to good use.

That first day was crazy.  Since I was keeping track, I noticed that my sales on day one far surpassed my totals from day one of last year.  I guess they kind of sell themselves, but I'd like to think that I had something to do with it.  I worked really hard too, even though my friends were making ride plans:

I didn't mind.  I was having fun too.

The first day until ran from twelve until five, but I was worn out.  It's usually the slowest of the three day festival so if that was any indication then I had a long weekend ahead of me.  Once I packed away the merchandise a bunch of us headed out to the middle of nowhere to get some beer and fine Florida cuisine.

We ended up playing with alligators though.

Photo credit:  Punky

Well, somehow I also ended up with a new sippy cup.

I worked hard and um, played hard too.  I was worn out from day one, but I still had more to go.

So do you.  See y'all tomorrow.

Industry Insider

All the aimless wandering we did around the swamps of Florida actually had a destination.  The whole trip really started because of the Santos Fat Tire Festival.  I’d always heard that it was a good time, but I’ve never been able to go for one reason or another.  That changed this year when Little Miss Sunshine and her friend Alice (who needs a nickname by the way) decided to setup a booth down there.  They both do crafty bike art stuff, so those two teaming up for the festival seemed like a great idea.  Another great idea was the fact that I would get to ride the trails at Santos for three days straight while they worked.

Plans changed though.

Something came up, and my friends at DeFeet asked if I could help them out.  They had a booth down there, but no one to run it.  Of course, I said yes (after talking it over with the little lady.)  I’ve helped with the booth before at several events (including Interbike), but this would be the first time I’d get to do it all by myself.  I was honored that they asked, but a little nervous.  We got to the Santos trailhead bright and early Friday morning so I could set up.

The atmosphere felt sorta like a race to me, mostly because I had the jitters.  I knew the product, had plenty of it, and most importantly, I am pretty comfortable talking to strangers about the awesome stuff that DeFeet makes.  Plus, I had a pretty cool neighbor.

We had a prime spot up front, and the event was pretty big.  My camera could only capture half of it.

Day one only lasted from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., and the time really flew by.  I was selling socks left and right (no pun intended.)  In fact, I didn’t realize how much business I’d been doing in that five hour span.  I was busy talking to everyone and explaining the differences for each sock, and selling became automatic.  I was relieved that it was so easy (probably because I sorta know what I’m doing.) 

Once the expo closed for the day, we packed up and headed to the bike shop across the street for the afterparty.

It was full of good people, great beer, and even awesome food.  What a day. 

The next morning we had an earlier start, so we grabbed breakfast at the hotel before we left.  That’s when I spotted some socks that I’d sold the day before.

I knew it was gonna be a good day.  Because Pizza.

Day two was on a Saturday, so I knew it would be a busy day.  People came rolling in, but they left quickly to go on a fifty mile (organized) ride.  I was a little sad that I couldn’t go ride with them (even the Dirty Party Cycle came down from NC to ride), but I took my sock-selling duties seriously.  I didn't need to ride. 

The day started out slow due to the ride, so we kept busy between customers.  Someone took a photo of the little lady and Alice during their down time, and you can see me “working” hard in the background.

Once the riders started rolling in, business picked up.  I barely had enough time to do anything but talk about (and sell) socks.  Some folks couldn’t wait to try them out…

And then there’s my favorite story from the weekend.  I talked to a guy for a while about how comfortable the Trail Levitator socks were, how they are engineered specifically for mountain biking, and why he should have some.  He bought a pair, put them on, and took off on a twenty five mile ride.  I saw him a short while later…

He couldn’t stop talking about how good his feet felt and how much he loved his new socks.  Then he bought two more pairs.  Awesome.

I also got to meet some really cool people throughout the weekend.  One in particular that stands out it a guy named Falco, who was a pretty rad dude.  He lost his legs in a work accident a while back, but that didn’t stop him from riding.  He now rides a custom hand cycle and on the trails.  He’s from South Florida, and from what I hear tears up the trails down there better than most guys on two wheels. 

It was an honor to make such a cool new friend.   Check out his story here:

It was a long weekend (after a long week.)  When Sunday rolled around, I tore everything down and reflected on it all.

I worked hard for DeFeet, and made lots of new friends (for me and the folks out there in the hills.)  It was such a pleasure to get to represent a top notch cycling company at an awesome event.  Hopefully I’ll get a chance to do this again.  It was a small taste of being in the bike industry, but I really enjoyed it.  It’s a lot of work no doubt, but the reward was great because I came away feeling like I actually had a purpose. 

It’s enough to make me want to give up what I do for a living now, that’s for sure.

For real.

Fun Friday (Road Trip Edition)

Once again...

Blogging has been inconsistent again.  I’ve been a little busy with some early/late workdays, but I’ve also had some other issues.  Well, one in particular that sorta caught me off guard.

 I haven’t really felt right since I came back from Florida.  I rode my ass off during the race, but I didn’t really feel like I’d worked myself too hard.  I actually felt pretty good directly afterwards.  Even on the drive home, I wasn’t too tired.  I didn’t get to bed until late when I got home, which would have been the third night in a row of less than optimum sleepy time.  In fact it continued for the rest of the week.  Life gets in the way I guess.  It’s not like having Carl jumping in the bed every night has anything to do with it.

Anyway, I was feeling particularly shitty on Friday.  Not sick, but run down and ragged.  My heart was pounding during minimal efforts.  I decided to leave work a little early and stop by one of those blood pressure machines on the way home.  After several readings, this was the best I could do.

Shit.  If you know anything about blood pressure (I do thanks to Little Miss Sunshine’s profession), you would know that my results were quite shitty, even bordering on “get some medical care, asshole.”  I chalked it up to being tired, and that’s why I didn’t really do much of anything over the weekend (including bringing the party to the short track race.)  I slept more, kept activities to a minimum, and tried not to die.  I’m normally pretty damn healthy, so this made me worry just a little bit (thus keeping my BP elevated.)

I’m good now, although I don’t know why my shit was jacked up.  The little lady took another reading a few nights ago and everything is back to normal.  She said it was probably due to my severe lack of rest, and warned me about taking care of myself.  And of course my next question was…

“Do you think I should race this weekend?”

The 2016 Southern Classic Series kicks off this Sunday, and I’ve already signed up.  I’m obviously not in racing shape (or any shape right now), but it’s too late to change that now.  I got the all clear from my smarter half, and hopefully I’ll be okay.  My goal is not to win, but to keep from falling over dead out there.  Easier said than done.  I just need a little motivation.

I’ll get plenty of rest directly after the race, because we are going on vacation.  We’re calling it the Tour de Florida, and it will start in Saint Augustine this Sunday night.  From there, we’ll roll across the state to do some riding, and then it’s down to the Everglades for a while. 

It will be a nice way to relax.

We have some other stops planned too, but eventually we’ll make our way back to Ocala for the Santos Fat Tire Festival.

The little lady will have a booth down there to sell her crafty stuff, doing business as The Painted Sprocket.  My plan was to ride for three days while she sold stuff.  Sounded good, but now I haz new plans.

I’m gonna be working too.

My friends over at DeFeet asked me to run the booth for them down there.  I’ll be hanging out and selling all the latest socks (which will probably include some of the new ones from Lunchbox.)  I know the products well, and being back in my home state should make this whole thing go pretty smooth.  I’m really honored that they asked me to do this, but of course I feel a little pressure too.

So, keep me from keeling over dead by buying some socks from me down in The Sunshine State.

You’ll be there right?

Good, because that’s where I’ll be.  I’ll see y’all back here sometime after the 15^th of this month.

Wait, there’s isn’t enough funny in today’s post (unless you think me dying is funny.)  Here, take this one.

And on that note, I’m out.  See y’all in a while.

I'm Gone

Temporarily.

This time of year, we're usually snowed in and I find myself trying to get the hell out of town.  I always go to the same place too...

Yeah, Florida.  I know,I was just down there a few months ago.  And I'm leaving bright and early tomorrow morning to go back.  It's always a good escape, and the culture is pretty interesting too.

Um.

Actually, you know what's going on.  Do I really need to tell you?

Okay.  Here's a hint:

Once again, I'm returning to my home state to participate in one of my favorite events.  Santos is a rad place to ride, and while we're not exactly snowed in this time around, it'll still be nice to get away for a bit.  And as an added bonus, I'll be "racing" a little bit differently this year.  My pal Mr. Shepherd will be joining me this time around, and instead of the full twelve hours we're gonna do the six hour version.  We started riding together many moons ago, but this will be the first time we've ever teamed up.  He's more into triathlon stuff these days, but I have a feeling that participating in a mountain bike event might be good for him.

News flash:  he's actually looking forward to it.

It's gonna be nice to get away.  Some Charlotte folks will be there, as well as some of my Florida people.  And by doing only six hours instead of twelve, I'm gonna have lots more time to party afterwards.

You know I love a good party...

This is gonna be a blast.  See y'all next week.  Probably Tuesday or some shit like that.

One More

A few days into my “quit shitty job and getaway” adventure, I was pretty damn satisfied.  I rode some fun trails, hung out with friends and family, and reminisced in my hometown.  I wasn’t done though.  Since I brought a bike, I wanted to ride some more. And no trip to Florida would be complete without a trip to one of the first trails I’ve ever ridden…

I got to the trail pretty early, ready to enjoy a leisurely ride.  The last time I was at Santos, I did a 12 hour race on a rigid singlespeed.  That was a different kind of fun I guess.  Anyway, looking forward to not having to push myself for 12 hours I took off…

And immediately experienced some of the most horrific knee pain ever.

Not even in the trail yet and I was hurting.  Instead of canceling my ride to nurse my swollen knee, I opted to play around on the skills course for a bit to see if things would “loosen up.”  It didn’t help one bit, but my stubborn ass decided to ride anyway.  The trail starts out pretty flat so I figured I’d be fine.

The pain was subdued as long as I didn’t stand up to pedal, so the first few miles weren’t so bad. I still stopped a lot just in case.

I couldn’t resist playing around though, even if it did hurt when I stood up.

That was fun, but this one was fun-er…

I somehow made it all the way to the Vortex (as seen in the photo above.)  My knee seemed to be getting worse, but seeing the Florida “mountains” made me forget about it a little.

But I still wanted to crawl in a hole and die.

The Vortex section is tough.  It’s where you find quite a bit of climbing, and with my knee getting much worse I ended up walking a lot.  I sat down for a while, wondering if I would even be able to make it back to the trail head.  I considered asking someone out there for a ride back, but I can't go for that.  Eventually I fought through the pain (making matters worse no doubt) and rolled slowly through the woods to reach my truck.  I sat for a while with my leg elevated and wondered why I had been a complete dumbass.  My knee was the size of a softball at this point and I could barely bend it.

Shit.

Somehow I managed to pack up my stuff and went on a quest for some liquid “medicine.”  Luckily I only had to travel across the street…

They sell beer, and of course you can drink it right there in the shop. 

I felt better, but my knee hurt (alcohol is rad but not that rad.)  I piled into my truck and drove away, wondering if I would be able to walk the next time I stopped.  I took frequent breaks from driving to stretch my leg, and it helped just a little bit.  Luckily when I stopped in Jacksonville to get beer I had a cart to hold on to.

The mystery injury was a few weeks ago.  I still haz pain.  I’ve been on one road ride since then and it seems to be a little better.  I have a long way to go I guess.  Who knows.  I didn’t do anything to hurt it, but at least the diagnosis isn’t too bad (bursitis.)  I may have a bum knee for a while, but damn if that trip didn’t do me wonders.

I’ve since started a new job (pretty damn awesome), and I have a new outlook on things these days.  This is the first time in a long time that I’ve consistently been in a good mood.

Who gives a shit.

I do, I guess.  For now.

See y’all next week.  I have a four day weekend because natives saved some white people from starving to death many moons ago.  

Don’t eat too much tomorrow, tubby.