Fun Friday

The weekend is finally here.  It’s a holiday for a lot of people today, so that could explain the shitty traffic on the way home from work yesterday and the light traffic this morning on the way in.  I guess I'm very thankful for it.  You know, because there are worse things going on.

Tomorrow, myself a couple hundred of my closest friends are gonna play in the woods.  It will be fun in a weird way.

I know everyone will be happy to see me tomorrow.  In fact, I’m sure that’s why most of them signed up for the 6 Hours of Warrior Creek in the first place.

Yeah, sure. 

Anyway, I’m in a hurry to get today over with so I can get on with my weekend.  Tomorrow is gonna be rad.  On Monday, you’ll most likely see the first of several posts about my “race.” 

See y’all then.

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.

No Joke

Since I’ve been doing this blogging thing, I’ve tried some phoney April Fools post just because it seemed like it would be fun.  It usually works, especially the one I did last year.

I just don’t feel like doing it today.  Not a big deal.  Besides, there are plenty of other things out that that other people do to make funny.

Ewwww.

It’s not too late if you want to do something.  Here's a list of easy pranks you can try on someone if you so desire:

Top 20 Best Prank Ideas

Some of them are good I guess.  Number eleven is probably the best and would get an awesome reaction.

Anyway, the real significance of April 1st is that it’s the start of 30 Days of Biking. 

You know, the annual event where you pledge to ride your bike every day in April?  It doesn’t matter what kind of ride.  You could hit some sweet jumps, tear up The Pisgah, or just ride up to the local watering hole to grab a beer. 

It’s easy. 

Just take the pledge.

I see a lot of trips for beer coming up in the next 30 days.

Happy April 1st.

Recovery

I put in a pretty hard effort on Sunday.  I rode at or above my threshold the entire time (like a race car in the red), worried about someone catching me.  Sometimes I think it’s easier to work up to the front than to stay there the whole time.  The only other race I’ve ever won (back in 2009) saw me in the lead for the whole race, only to slow down and take it easy once I knew how far ahead I was.  I eventually kicked it back in, but I could have very well lost the position that I’d worked so hard to get.

Anyway, I really expected to be pretty tired.  Like, hang around and do nothing tired.

That wasn’t really the case.  I was sleepy from getting up early on a weekend, but my legs felt good.  I wasn’t dehydrated like I normally would be after a race, even though I didn’t quite finish one bottle of water.  I do still have one lingering thing from the race though…

A weird cough.

Inhaling all that cold air (it was around 34 degrees at the start) while I rode made my lungs hurt like hell when it was over.  I put in some hard efforts on my road bike the week before, but the temps were warm and I didn’t have that issue.  It’s cleared up a little now, but I’m still coughing up stuff.  Gross.

Damn that morning air was some chilly shit…

To “recover” from the race, I ate a lot.  They served food after the race (which was an awesome thing to do), but I’d brought my own.  I also ate when I got back home in the afternoon, and even made dinner later that evening.  I also drank plenty of fluids throughout the afternoon to make sure I wouldn’t dry out.  It was almost all water, other than one of my favorite recovery drinks…

Death By Hops is pretty damn awesome.  I found this one da udda day at The Common Market here while Mr. Shepherd was in town, and I saved it for consumption after the race.  It was extra good, and no doubt earned.  Maybe I need a beer sponsor.

Speaking of sponsors, look over there to the right.  All those logos you may or may not click on (you do, right?) support me in some form or fashion, and I really appreciate each and every one of them.  I feel like they are all responsible in one way or another for me having a good race yesterday, and having them in my corner was pretty good motivation.

And this is the part again where I say thanks to the volunteers and race organizers (hi Howard) for putting on such a fine event.  Also, the Southern Classic Series is the best around and I’m glad to be back.  Hopefully I can keep having fun, even if that podium trip is the only one this year.

Bikes, beer, and fun.  Let’s keep it simple this season, shall we?

Third Time’s A Charm

I’ve mentioned before that I was “un” “retiring” from XC lap racing.  I wanted to give the Southern Classic Series another shot and see what could do.  Sure, I got burned out back in 2012 when I last raced in it, but maybe I wasn’t in a good place mentally or something.  Who knows.  With a lofty goal of doing the whole series (after missing the first race), I kicked off my “un” “retirement” yesterday at San Lee Park in Sanford, NC.

Up at six a.m. to feed the pets, I started having second thoughts.  After a stretch of warm weather here lately, I woke up to below freezing temps.  I really just wanted to crawl back in bed.  I didn’t though, and after loading up my stuff I hit the road.  It was cold.

 Brrrr

As I headed E/NE away from Charlotte, I saw the temps drop down to 22 degrees at one point.  Resiting the urge to turn around, I starting thinking about what I would wear during the race.  I knew that I would warm up quickly, and with a little over two hours of driving time I had plenty of time to go over everything.  As I got closer, I started to get nervous.  I hadn’t “competed” in XC in about three years, although I did race in one last year just for fun.  I told my nerves to shut up, and suddenly I was in the parking lot.

I walked up to the registration area, grabbed my number plate, and started getting dressed.  I ended up with a light DeFeet base payer, arm warmers, knee warmers, and my really cool new Trail Ninja socks…

I was pretty chilly, but spinning around the parking lot and up and down a big hill started warming me up pretty good.  Soon, it was time to line up.  That’s when the nerves really got to me.  I looked around at my competition and wondered why I was there.  I got that negative shit out of my head and started going over my plan…

“Don’t get caught up racing.  Put in a good first effort, settle in, and don’t worry about chasing anyone down.”

When it was our turn to start, we sprinted up a big, steep hill.  With only one gear, I had no choice but to fly up it until I could find a spinny pace.  While I was doing that, I realized that I was out in front.  Shit.  I didn’t mean to do it, but it worked out that way.  Suddenly, as the hill crested, one guy shifted into a bigger gear and flew by.”

“Don’t chase him down.  You can get him later.”

I didn’t listen to myself and immediately took off after him.  The road leveled out and I was spinning my ass off.  With my heart rate through the roof, I entered the woods first, with second place (and everyone else) right behind me.  I knew I was gonna blow up after that effort, so I kept pedaling and waited for the inevitable.  I was still working hard, and building a small gap. 

Suddenly, I felt really good.

My heart rate slowed down, my breathing evened out, and I felt like I had a ton of energy.  I put the hammer down, and after each switchback climb I could see that I was pulling away from the group.  Entering the first technical section, I cleaned it and added even more of a time cushion.

I knew that I couldn’t keep that effort up.  The crash was coming, and I started to worry about when it would.  So, I just pedaled harder, figuring that I would use what I had while I had it.  The funny thing was, the harder I worked, the quicker I recovered.  I cleaned a few more rocky sections, mashed up some climbs, and sprinted away on the flat, twisty sections.  I saw no one from my class, but I was passing others that started ahead of me.

Who the hell was I?  Why wasn’t I dying out there?  I was working hard, and feeling better as the day went on.  After finishing that first lap, I felt even better.  I concentrated on building a bigger gap, and trying to be careful as I rode my rigid bike over some of those nasty rocks.  About halfway through the second lap I started to worry.  Did I take a wrong turn?  Am I now in last place?  Why the hell am I feeling so good?

Who gives a shit.  Keep riding.

Up the last big set of climbs (Charlie’s Mountain I think) I was hammering knowing that I was almost done.  That leads to the Mega Jump section, which is like a cross between Warrior Creek and a big ass pump track.  I flew through there, hit the jumps and even doubling a few.  I was on the home stretch, and before I knew it I was at the finish line.  I was confused, so I asked the race officials where I placed.

“First.”

I was shocked.  Really.  I know I’ve been working a little bit on my fitness, but I didn’t really expect to win or even get on a podium this season.  But I did.

After a day of working hard and getting the shit beat outta me by rocks, I took home a pretty cool rock of my own.

And I won a Maxxis Ikon.  Rad.

This was my third race there.  The first two back in 2011 and 2012, I got third place (and smaller rocks.) It’s been a while since I’ve been on a podium, and honestly this one felt pretty damn good.  I worked hard, rode smart, and walked away feeling pretty good.  What a way to start the season.

I dunno.  Maybe it’s a fluke.  I got lucky.  Whatever.

Who gives shit.

I had a blast out there. The race organizers did a great job, the course was fun, and the people were pretty cool. It’s good to be back. I know it's not always gonna be this good, so I'm enjoying it while I can.

Fun Friday

This week went by fast I guess.  Work was rough (as it has been lately), and I’m happy to have a few days off.  I’m also a bachelor for the next two days, since the little lady is heading down to Charles Town to run across a big bridge.

She’s pretty excited about it.  I hope she has fun and does well.  That’s not my kind of fun though, since I don’t run anymore these days.  If you ever see me running, something is chasing me.  You should run too.

Anyway, it will just be me, Lunchbox, and the cats and dogs for the next couple of days.  Tomorrow I have a few things planned, like a shitload of guitar playing a maybe a trip up to The Cycle Path for some supplies.  Also, Mr. Shepherd is in town from Florida, so we’ll probably hang out a little tomorrow.

The main thing is to relax a lot in preparation for my race on Sunday.

Maybe I can haz party…

That one makes me giggle every time I look at it.

I’ll probably end up watching some Star Wars movies, in which case I’d better get some popcorn.

Lots of free time means that I will probably waste it all and do nothing. 

Who gives a shit.

See y’all Monday, most likely with some kind of race report.

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?