Fixin’ Roadies

I learned something over the weekend…

I should never race my bicycle on the road.  While I’m sure to forget that lesson and do it  in the future, right now it just seems like a really dumb thing to do.  I spent all day Saturday on medic duty at the 40^th Annual Dilworth Criterium, and I was busy as hell.  I barely got my stuff unloaded from the truck when I had to tend to a kid that wrecked.

On the second lap of the first race.

It didn’t ease up from there, either.  I roamed the course on my mountain bike (it was easier to cut through the park and get anyway I needed to be) and I was busy pretty much the whole day fixing boo boos from crashes.  These guys (and gals) seem to have worse injuries than I normally see on the mountain bike trails, and that’s probably enough to keep my dumb ass from ever trying to get involved in road racing.

The first kid ( a junior racing in the Cat 5 men field) hit the curb and went over the bars.  He rolled and landed on his but, which really saved him from any serious injuries.  His dad was there though, and dealing with a parent that gets in the way is way worse than any serious injury.  The kid was okay, and even raced later in the junior field.  He was a little sore, but didn’t even get a speck of road rash on him.

Speaking of road rash, that’s what I did for most of the day.  One girl (who was in the lead) wrecked in a high speed corner, and got pretty scraped up.  She also cracked her helmet, but it looked to me like she didn’t suffer a head injury.  She was convinced to go to the hospital later though, because there may have been a small fracture in her hand.  At least she was in good spirits though.

During the last race of the day (Pro and Cat 1,2), I thought I was pretty much finished.  Everyone told me that these guys are more experienced, so I shouldn’t see any crashes.  A couple of laps in though, a guy wrecked.  He got up and decided to get back in the race.  He said he would come back and see me later.  When the race was coming to a close, I was standing around waiting for that lone injured rider and I saw another crash.  Second place guy got a little out of control, and he took out third and fourth place.  Their race was over, and gave the injured guy from before a chance to get on the podium in second place.  

When it was all said and done, I was working on four people pretty much all at once.  It was a busy day, but I was glad to be able to help.  And, it keeps me in check when I even think I want to try that dumb shit.

I’ll just stay on the trails for “racing.’

Since I bored you to death with my shitty words today, I’ll at least share the photos I took during the very little free time I had.

I packed up my shit afterwards, and the fellas and I met at a local watering hole to plan our next adventure…

More roadie stuff.

I’ll get into that tomorrow.

It Was a Good One

Saturday was one of those rides that make you smile. In fact, it was the most fun I’ve had on a bike in quite some time. I always have fun riding in the woods, but things were way better this time. Maybe it was because of the fact that we went on a road trip. I do like getting away from time to time.

We had us a big ol’ convoy heading down to Augusta, GA.



And an even bigger group meeting us there:



And of course the group shot:



The Forks Area Trail System did not disappoint. We started out on a trail called Great Wall, which is about seven and a half miles. After a short fire road-type intro, the trail turned into fast, super-smooth, whoop-de-doos. I couldn’t believe how fun it was. Lunchbox and stayed far enough back from the main group so we could pretty much go as fast as we wanted, and damn did we go fast. Way faster than we probably should have. I was sliding out a little bit on the turns, but a quick stop on the side of the trail to put a little air in my rear tire took care of that issue.


After rockin’ the Great Wall, we ended up back where we started. That was a good thing, since it was also the start of our next loop, Skinny. This one was six miles, and more of the same fast swoopy goodness. Shit, we hardly had to pedal. There were a few climbs here and there, but I have to say that this place was more like a big ass pump track. The little jumps were so quick that they would throw you up in the air real quick if you weren’t careful. I almost regretted not bringing my singlespeed. I was definitely glad I had a 29er though. I know Lunchbox was too:




About two thirds of the way into the second loop (Skinny), I noticed that we were pretty close to the Savannah River. Since I know that Alligators can be found there, I asked Lunchbox if he wanted to go look for some. Of course he agreed, and we hopped off our bikes and headed down to the water.




I saw a few when we drove across the Savannah River on our way to the trailhead, but I didn’t see shit when we got down by the water. I figured that they stayed away from that part of the water because of the noise and what-not. Just then, I noticed some bubbles coming up in the water, and I knew that was one of our reptilian friends. We were happy enough to find one, and decided to continue our ride and catch up to the group.


We met up with the rest of the folks out there at the entrance of a loop called Brown Wave, which is actually off of the Skinny loop. We heard that this one was one of the best loops out here, so we got ready for some fun. We let the group get way up ahead again, and eventually Lunchbox and I got busy riding. We took off fast, and enjoyed pretty much the same kind of trail we had seen earlier. It was plenty fun.


With about two and a half miles to go, we started thinking about the end of our day. We were just cruising along trying to finish our ride, and we saw Little Miss Sunshine sitting on the side of the trail. She was hurt from a small spill, but at least she was laughing about it.




After making sure she way okay, we kept on going. She made it out okay, so we didn’t have to go back in to retrieve her.



Since she didn’t have a full first aid kit, I cleaned up her injury when we got back to the truck. It was not pretty.



And that was after I cleaned it off.


Other than that small mishap, it was an awesome day. Over twenty miles of singletrack goodness with family and friends is what I needed. Big thanks to the Dirt Divas for organizing the trip and getting me out of the state to ride. I am heading back there as soon as I can. If you want to plan a trip, let me know. I have to get back there pronto. Oh yeah, I have a shitload of video footage from our ride too. I used a different camera perspective on some of it, and it looks awesome. I’ll get that up here as soon as I can get a chance to edit it all.

Birthday, Medic Stuff, and More Bike Racing

First things first. Today is a special day for my son Isaiah, a.k.a. Lunchbox. He’s been with me here on Earth for 14 years now, so we’re getting ready to celebrate. I know, 14 years isn’t a long time, but they have been the best years of my life so far. He’s a great kid, and it’s a privilege to be his dad. Also, I can’t forget to mention all the work he does as the official B-43 photographer. When he’s armed with the camera, he makes sure to capture the action during all of our adventures. Tonight, in his honor, we’ll be heading out to dinner at one of those fancy Japanese flamin’ grill places.




Now, we’ll go back to the River’s Edge Mountain Bike Marathon. After the race started, I figured I would change my clothes and eventually see if I could get out on the trail for a bit. My knee was feeling a little better, so I hoped that I could meander around the course and offer my assistance to any downed/injured riders.


Before I got a chance to walk over to my truck, an injured rider came in. She had fallen on the Figure 8 loop, and dislocated her shoulder. When Little Miss Sunshine and I started helping her, a woman standing next to us asked if there were any medics on the scene. We said, “Yeah, us.” The lady responded by saying that she was a physician. Proper etiquette is to always yield to someone with higher training than you, so we let her take over. A woman who was with her said that she was a CMA (Certified Medical Assistant maybe?), and she tried to step in and help too. As a former EMT and current heart specialist, Little Miss Sunshine found this lady’s lack of knowledge a little disturbing. The whole scene was kind of odd actually, especially since the “doctor” seemed to have quite a bit of trouble getting the shoulder back in place. All we could do was stand by and try to help:



I really wanted to take over, but it wasn’t my place to tell a doctor how to treat a patient. I suffered this exact same injury a year and a half ago, and I had less trouble putting my own shoulder back in place. I knew I could help, but my hands were tied. I mentioned to Little Miss Sunshine that maybe our dear “doctor” was probably a dentist or something. She was part of a coed duo, and she said that her partner would take over when he came in. She seemed more interested in getting out on the course for her lap than anything else (or having someone relieve her from her struggle.) Just then, another rider came in with the same injury (or close anyway.) Little Miss Sunshine tended to him, and did an excellent job. Eventually, both riders will be okay, but their race was over. I decided to hurry up and get out on the trail in case anything else happened out there.


Before I left though, I saw a couple of my racing pals at the start/finish line. Here’s a photo of Rod, the other half of the coed duo that I mentioned yesterday:





Just as I turned around, the Space Cowboy came in from his first lap. I barely got a photo of him, since he was hauling ass and feeling mighty fine:



Here’s Mrs. MadSS coming in from her first lap:



I eventually got out on the course, and I stopped quite a bit. My knee was still hurting, so I camped out every so often to rest it, and to get some photos. Here’s my pal Chad toughing it out on his third lap:



A little while later (in a different location), The MadSS came through on what I think was his last lap. He was almost going too fast for my camera:



While I was out on the trail, I got word that yet another rider went down with a shoulder injury. I raced over to the Green Loop as fast as my knee would allow, completing the 3 mile section in record time. There were a couple of us looking for the downed rider, but we never found him. I guess he managed to get out under his own power. Left without a patient to treat, I headed back to the finish line just in time to catch a few of my friends coming through on their final lap.


Here's the Space Cowboy coming through at a high rate of speed, giving it his best:



When it was all over, some folks managed to grab some free beer before it ran out. The MadSS and his Mrs. were recovering by the man-made river with some frosty brew:



It looked like a fun, yet challenging race. I was bummed that I couldn’t race, but it was good to be out there helping the other racers. I’m proud of all my cycling friends that entered the race. They gave it their all and impressed the shit outta me. Maybe next year I’ll be able to join them for some torture. Until then, I’ll be working on getting my knee (and my bike) back into tip-top shape while I prepare for the next grueling adventure…the Tree Shaker. Oh fun.

Casual Observer

I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this before, but the Summer Series races are a little stressful to me. Not the fact that I’m getting my ass kicked every time I race, but more like it’s a little difficult to even get there sometimes. Couple that with a little workday stress and that makes it pretty difficult to have a decent race.


Yesterday was no exception. I like to try to get out of work to make it to the races with plenty of time to warm up, but that doesn’t always happen. I stayed a little later than normal yesterday, so I decided that I wouldn’t worry too much about whether I got there or not. On the way to the U.S. National Whitewater Center, I called up Mr. Shepherd so he could chill me out. We talked about how you have to be in the right frame of mind to race, and also about how important it is to get there with plenty of time to get ready. As the minutes flew by, I came to the realization that I probably wasn’t gonna make it with enough time to be able to race.


When I finally arrived, I changed into my riding stuff, grabbed The Big O, and headed down to the registration area. With the race set to kick off at 6:15, I really had no time to ride at all. I decided to sit this one out, and just play volunteer/spectator for the evening. I grabbed my camera and took a few photos of the start of the race.








After everyone got out on the trail, I decided I would try to ride a lap (singlespeed style no less.) As I hit the trail, I didn’t feel too bad. I picked up the pace to see if I could manage a decent lap time. Just as I was starting to doubt my decision to skip the race I came upon one of the junior riders in the first section (about a mile or so in.) He was walking his bike, and looked to be having a little difficulty. I asked him if he was okay, and said that he was a little tired. He told me that he had been riding pretty hard this week, and that he was looking for the exit. I told him I would walk him out if he wanted, but then he said, “I think I can go on.” I rode behind him for another mile or so, giving him encouragement along the way. After dismounting on one of the climbs, he picked up his pace. I told him I would watch for the expert riders coming up, and that he could go on without me.


As I stopped on the side of the trail to let the little guy go, I decided I would whip out the camera to try to catch a photo of the Space Cowboy as he passed by, but I guess he was just too fast. I shouted a few encouraging words at him and packed up the camera. I figured I would get him on the next lap, so I took off down the trail to find a prime picture-taking location.


When I entered the singletrack again, I tried to pick up the pace. I knew the expert riders would be coming up quick, so I wanted to clear the trail for them. As I approached a long, slippery downhill, I spotted a pile of rider and bicycle at the bottom. I quickly recognized him as the junior rider from before. I stopped and asked him, “Are you okay?” He said he thought his nose was broken. Long story short, he had crashed face first into a tree at the bottom.


I grabbed his bike and moved it off of the trail, and helped him up to the fire road. I told him I would get him out of there, and we could get some ice on his injury. I warned the approaching riders that there was a rider down, and we started heading out. About halfway down the fire road, my buddy Doug walked up behind us, apparently the victim of a flat tire. Ironically, he had just ordered an Awesome Strap, but it had not arrived yet. He had no spare tube or Co2, so this race would be a DNF for him. He kept me and the little junior rider company though, so maybe that whole thing was fate.


As we walked out, I kept asking the little guy questions to get a gauge of his mental state. He was a little dizzy, so we took frequent breaks along the way. When we finally got out of the trail and back to the start/finish line, Little Miss Sunshine took over the medic duties (I had called ahead to let her know.) With a little ice, we were able to keep the swelling down, and he would live to ride another day.


Looking back, I suppose it was a good thing that I didn’t race last night. Had I not been out there goofing off, that little guy might have been out there in a pile for a lot longer than the few minutes it took for me to get to him. I’m all about helping the kids, so I’ll chalk this race up as a success. Even though I wasn’t out there fighting for a last place finish, I was still out there for a purpose. I only got in about 3 miles of riding last night, but I felt pretty good that I was able to help out. Maybe you can learn a lesson from this too. It’s not always about your best lap time, the prettiest bike, or having a shitload of sponsors. Sometimes you gotta take time to stop and help your fellow rider, especially if it is one that's the future of our sport. See you tomorrow.