Fun Friday

Hell yeah.  I know you've been waiting for this.

You've made it through another week.  It's nice to be this close to the weekend, right?    I'd hate to get this far and screw it up.

That guy missed it.  So close though.

I'm actually surprised that I remember what day it is.  I've been off work since Tuesday and I've been doing a whole lot of nothing too.  You see, I took a few days off from work because I needed it.  Well, actually I'm between jobs right now.  I finally got away from a bad situation and I'm on the path to something new.  I start at the new place on Monday, so I'm not sure if I'll be here doing the blog thing or not.

I'll try though, because I will probably have a race report and all that junk.  

At least I'm ready to "race."

I'll be back eventually.  Don't you worry about that.

Who gives a shit.

Strategy

So, I have another race coming up this weekend.  And no, it’s not PMBAR.  That one is on my list though.  Not on a fancy spreadsheet that details all my hopes and dreams on a bike, rather it’s kinda like it’s on a crumpled up piece of paper that’s buried deep in my pocket. 

And I found it on laundry day after it’s been through the wash.

Srsly, I’ll do it one day.  Maybe next year.

No, this weekend is another race in the Southern Classic Series.  I missed the one this past weekend due to work obligations, but I’m picking it back up on Sunday with a trip down to Harbison State Forest down near Columbia, SC.  Just like other races I’ve done in this series in the past; it’s been a while since I’ve been there.  Other than a few punchy climbs and some nasty rocks here and there, I remember it being mostly flat.  Running a single speed might be the death of me down there, since the largest cog I have for the rear is a 17 tooth.  Not having enough gear to push on the flat stuff hurt me up in Virginia, and I’m not about to let it hurt me again.

I’ve come up with sort of a plan.  Here’s a hint:

Recognize that?  No?   How about another hint?

 

Yeah, that is a cassette.  And that means gears.  I didn’t put gears on my bike though.  I only have single speed bikes (unless you count the road bike I guess), and adding gears that I don’t have to a single speed bike seemed a little ridiculous.  I guess trying to race a bike with gears after “being a single speeder” for a while now is ridiculous too.  However, I don’t want any excuses when it’s all over Sunday afternoon.  I’m feeling much better after recovering from Death Virus 2015, and my legs sorta feel strong.  With a few gears to help on the really flat stuff, I figured that I just might be okay.

So, who’s bike is it then?

Here’s another hint:

Got it?  Good, because I have no idea what I’m doing.

See y’all tomorrow.

Race Prep

The biggest race of the year is coming up in just two days.  This Saturday is the 6 Hours of Warrior Creek.  I am excite.  This will be my sixth time in the event (I only missed the very first one) and every year it does not disappoint.  Although it’s tough, it really is a fun race and that’s the whole reason I even do it.

Remember kids, riding your bike is fun.

I don’t have any goals, other than to go out there and ride as much as possible for six hours.  Sure, I had some success last weekend in a little cross country action, but that doesn’t mean that I expect this one to be a breeze.  In fact, I’m not even considering a chance on the podium.  Who gives a shit.  I’m just there to ride, hang out with some of the coolest people in the bike scene, and enjoy some of the best singletrack in the state.

Yeah, I said that.  It’s really a great place to ride.

Anyway, since I’m “competing” in the single speed class, I had to do a little bike work last night.  I took of my standard local (and apparently cross country lap racing friendly) 18t cog and replaced it with something that I could stand to push for six hours.

Yeah, it’s an easy gear.  If you weighed 230 pounds you’d want something easy too.  Sure, it will be way too spinny at first, but later in the day I’ll be glad I did it.  Well, maybe.  I’m sorta having second thoughts on my gear choice.  I’m a lot stronger than I have been in years past, and my fitness level is pretty good at this point in the season.  Maybe I can run something harder.  Maybe I’ll change it again before Saturday.  Maybe I won’t.  Who gives a shit.

I also took the time to go over my bike again, checking to see if there were any issues from my race last weekend.  I did have to tighten up the headset a little, and I found some other issues while I was at it.  I definitely needed a new chain.

The picture keeps loading upside down.  Just stand on your head and everything will be right.

I’ve been using the KMC 610 for quite a while now.  I haven’t broken one yet, and other than getting a little sloppy after prolonged use I’ve had no issues.  It’s heavier than some other single speed chain options out there, but I’m heavy too.  I like having something tough that I can’t break.

I also finally remembered to do something else that’s been put on the back burner for some reason.  In the past few rides/races, I’ve noticed my foot slipping out of the pedals every once in a while for no particular reason.

Well, I guess there is a reason.

Luckily, I get some good support from Crankbrothers, so I had a new set on hand to swap out.

Much better.  Last night’s test ride confirmed it.

Since I’ll be racing quite a bit more this season, I knew I had to thoroughly go over my bike to make sure it wouldn’t fail on me.  I had a list of things to check/replace, and after taking care of maintenance issues there was only one thing left…

Now my bike is ready. 

My legs feel good, and that nasty shit in my lungs is all but gone.

I’m ready for six hours of suffering.

Maybe.

Getting Ready For Fun

About a week ago, I was at a doctor’s office (for work stuff; I'm fine.)  There was an older lady there (probably in her late 70s), and she was asked about her recent vacation by the check-in nurse.  After a chat about some island getaway, she then went on to say, “I just booked a trans-atlantic cruise this summer.  It’s the last thing on my bucket list.”

That stuck with me.  I don’t know what else was on her list, but that fact that she’s nearly reached the end of it fascinated me.  I didn’t really have a chance to talk to her, but looking back I wished that I had.  From what I heard, she loves to travel, so I imagine that most of her list items were trips to far away and/or exotic lands.  She seemed so happy about it, and that made me feel pretty good as well. 

I have a long way to go until I reach her age, but I have plenty of time to do all sorts of fun things.  I don’t have a “bucket list” per se, but I do have a mental list of things that I’d like to do at some point.  I’ve checked off quite a few things, but I’m more of a “fly by the seat of my pants” type of person.  I’m just gonna make sure I have fun, no matter what I’m trying to accomplish.

I guess that’s one reason that I’ve reconsidered beefing up my racing schedule again.  I was really burned out when I raced a lot of cross country stuff a few years ago, to the point where even just riding my bike for fun wasn’t um, fun.  It wasn’t the racing that did it though.  It was my shitty attitude.  I was traveling to new trails and meeting some cool people, but I guess that wasn’t enough.  Racing can be fun, but if it ceases to be then maybe I need to look at why instead of just running away from it.

Maybe that’s why I’m a little nervous about this weekend.

Sunday, I’m jumping back into the Southern Classic Series, with the intention of doing the whole thing.  Once upon a time I raced almost every weekend, with varied results. 

There’s no reason to be nervous.  There’s really nothing on the line except whether or not I have fun.  That’s the approach I plan to take this time around, and I hope I can keep it up for the remainder of the season.  It’s gonna be difficult to stay focused, but as long as I can have fun then I should be fine.

Since I’m planning to “mix it up” with racey folks, I figured that I should get my bike in order.  I started by giving it a good bath, paying close attention to wear items such as the chain, cog, and chainring.  Everything is good (for now), but while I had the wheels off I noticed something odd.

Really, there’s no excuse for that kind of nonsense. I get tons of awesome support from Maxxis, and when I ask for new tires they show up quickly.  Maybe I’m just lazy (or don’t pay enough attention), but letting a tire go this long is unacceptable.  I didn’t take a photo of the actual tread wear, but it was quite shitty as well.

Luckily I haz options.

A brand new Ikon, just waiting for me to install it.  Once I did, I realized how much of a dumbass I am for not doing it sooner.  Tubeless setup was a breeze, and the fact that my rear wheel won’t spin out anymore is reason enough to never let this happen again.

At least I didn’t wait until I started racing this weekend.

That’s when I’ll see what else I forgot to do.

And no, new tires were not on my bucket list.  They probably should’ve been though.

Is it Friday yet?