This Can’t Be Good

After all that work I did to get my tire situation fixed, I came home to a puddle of Stan’s.  It didn’t take long to figure out where the air leaked out though, luckily.

I found that the rubber on the valve stem had separated, most likely because it’s getting up there in years.  With no new ones on hand to replace it, I’ll have to cram a bike shop trip in sometime this weekend.  It’s my geared bike, and I won’t be using it for a little while anyway since I’ll be out of town with the SS.  I really don’t have time for that shit right now anyway.   

Instead of using this weekend to get ready for my upcoming trip to New York/Vermont, I’m heading for the mountains.  Beech Mountain, that is, for Brews and Views which includes the 2012 USA Cycling Mountain Bike Gravity National Championships.  That’s right, the little lady and will be watching downhill and dual slalom racing, drinking beer, and listening to cool music.  Plus, there’s a special guest appearance by cycling’s only rock band, Cro-Moly.  Wait, who?  Cro-Moly, founded by DeFeet boss Shane Cooper will be there wrapping up the after-party.

 

Check out some of their stuff:

Cro-Moly’s Facebook page

So yeah, it looks like I will be having some bike fun this weekend, without actually getting on my bike.  That’s only Saturday though, so I have time the next day to pedal a little bit.

That’s if I’m not too hung over and tired from partying like a rock star.

In other news, I haven’t been on my bike at all since I raced this Sunday.  It’s not for lack of trying though.  I made plans, even packing my bike and gear in my truck for some two-wheeled after work adventures. 

Still no ride.

It’s rained here every day, and I don’t mean a light sprinkle either.  Big-ass thunderstorms aplenty, which have been keeping the local trails closed.  It’s even been raining too hard to ride over at my all weather trail (Captain Jim Bob’s Space Adventure.)  It’s kinda hard to see through the fat ass raindrops.  Since I can’t ride, I’ve been spending more time on my other hobby…

Beer

Sorry for the blurry photo.  I was drinking already when I took it.

I went over to the NoDa Brewing Company, which is right on my way home from work.  There was a fundraiser for a local cycling event (the 24 Hours of Booty), and even though I’m not participating in the event I got an invite.

It was a chance to eat, drink beer, and socialize with folks from the local cycling community.  And of course, I got to stare at their fancy brewing equipment.

I enjoyed my time there (and of course the beer), but I really need to get out on my bike.  Sunday ride plans are in the works, so hopefully the rain stays the hell away so I can get out there.

Maybe I’ll be back with a ride report.

Most likely it will just be a spectator report though.

Work Is For Suckers

And I was an all day one on Friday. After spending the day working way up in Salisbury (about an hour away from home), I was all set to get home and start my weekend. Work had other plans though, and I ended up having to drive all the way back into the city after 5:00. Once I got there it didn’t take long to fix the issue, but I knew that any chance of riding after work was ruined. Luckily, Little Miss Sunshine was nearby so we decided to take part in our other hobby…

Eating and drinking. 

We hit up this little Cajun place in the Hipster District, and I got to have some alligator (and of course a beer.)  It wasn’t as good as riding of course, but it was nice to spend time with the little lady and enjoy some good food.  Of course I grew up eating alligator, so it was nice to get back to my roots.  I also lived in Louisiana for a while back in early 90’s, and pigging out on swamp creatures was a good enough substitute for bike riding.

One of my favorite foods back when I lived in the bayou state were seafood PoBoys, and this place happened to have a crawfish one.

It was friggin’ delicious, and served with a side of cheese grits.  Damn, it’s been a while since I had some good home cookin’.

So yeah, Friday started off sucky because of extra work, but it ended up being a pretty cool.  I ride enough so I don’t feel guilty about getting my grub on, and having great food with great company turned a shitty day into a nice one. 

I even got home just in time to see my neighbor putting on a fireworks show.

Work sucked, but we made the best of it.  Would it continue for the next two days?  Come back tomorrow and I might tell you.