Ride With Me

I got out in the woods again this week for a little more “alone” time, and it was awesome. Little Miss Sunshine and Lunchbox were on the same trail (Sherman Branch), but they headed out before I did. Since I was riding solo, I actually remembered to bring along my GoPro HD HERO camera. The last few times I used it, I could never seem to get the right angle on my chest strap mount. That mean that the only thing you would see was my handlebars, and not much of the trail.


I remedied that though, by purchasing a helmet mount. I ran the camera the whole time, and I hoped like hell that the angle was right. I didn’t do any pre ride testing, so I was quite surprised that the video came out okay. Since I had like an hour of footage though, I had to spend quite a bit of time editing it down to about four minutes. I still have plenty of good video left to work with but for now I’ll show you a small portion of that fun ride. Just me, my bike, and the trail. Oh yeah, and you too, since you’re watching.





I still have a shitload of footage left, so look for more video action in the near future. I know you’re excited, ‘cause I am.

Alone Time

Today is Wednesday, and I’m talking about Sunday. I blog like I race…way behind. Anyway, since it was Mother’s Day, I did what any good son would do and headed out to ride my bike and pay homage to Mother Nature. Don’t worry though; I went to see my Mom later in the day. Anyway, it was time for a trip to the U.S. National Whitewater Center for some early morning hot laps…all by myself.



No plans in particular, except to ride as many laps as I could. That wouldn’t be many, because I had places to go and people to see. Since Lunchbox is fourteen and sleeps all day, he didn’t join me. Little Miss Sunshine was out on her own bicycling adventure. She’s training for something, but I’ll get into that later. Anyway, I got there and the place was pretty empty…just how I like it. I grabbed my dusty bike and got ready.



After a short spin in the parking lot to get my legs going, I headed to the trail entrance. I started down by the river, which is the spot where the race starts for the Catawba Riverfront Classic. Since I ride there a lot, I didn’t really need to practice. It is one of the toughest trails around here though, and I definitely needed that. I hit the trail full speed, and I was all alone.


I kept running into spider webs, so I knew I was one of the first people out there that day. I felt great, kinda like I could take over the world. I hammered around that trail, and enjoyed every second of it. I was going at a “race pace”, and it was hard to keep it up sometimes without people pushing me along. When I finally finished the nine and a half mile loop, I felt sick. I stopped for a minute at the trail entrance, and did my best not to throw up. Even though I nearly puked on my shoes, I guess that meant that I had worked really hard on that first lap. It’s been a long time since I pushed myself to the point of vomiting.


After I got myself together, it was time for another lap. People were all around now though, and I saw lots of hikers on the trail. They were all walking the trail in the wrong direction too, so I knew this time around would be a challenge. I kept a watchful eye on my surroundings, and I made sure to ring my bell every time I saw people on the trail ahead of me. I passed a few people on bikes out there too, so I guess that means that I was the only one out there doing hot laps.


Aside from the fact that there were people clogging up the trail, lap two was pretty awesome. I only stopped once to adjust my slipping seatpost, and while I did I snapped a photo of the lonely trail.



It was a great day. I finished my lap and headed home. It was time to grab the kid and head up to my Mom’s house to celebrate Mother’s Day with her. I was good and worn out from my morning ride, and I guess that’s a good thing. Maybe this training stuff is a good idea after all.

Roadies In Action

I know, I’ve been known to bash roadies form time to time on here, but I don’t hate those guys. In fact, I do own a road bike of my own, and even ride it every once in a while. Probably more like twice a year to be exact, but whatever. Anyway, I don’t get too many chances to watch roadies in action (other than when they hit up mountain bike trails), but over the weekend I actually attended a roadie function.

Little Miss Sunshine and I went to the 38th annual Dilworth Criterium on Saturday, and we weren’t disappointed. We were actually there for first aid support for the race, and I was hoping that we wouldn’t be real busy patching up scrapes and such. Also, one of Little Miss Sunshine’s coworkers, Bob, was there competing in the event.


That’s him in the middle.


Since he was in one of the first races of the day, I tried to get a few photos before things got busy. Half of these photos look like shit, but I tried. They were after all, going pretty fast.











After thirty minutes of racing, Bob was happy to be finished.



It looked like fun, but I don’t think I’ll be doing any of that stuff anytime soon. There were a few of my mountain biking friends out there though, including local Dirt Divas Patty Smith (racing in her Divas jersey, by the way.)



We weren’t too busy, because there weren’t a lot of incidents requiring medical attention. I brought my old junker bike to cruise around the course, but this guy made me wish I had brought along my unicycle:



If you read yesterday’s short post, then you saw me riding an “adult” tricycle. During a break in the racing action, they had a race on those things.



They even had a kids race, with my main man Max taking the win on his bike without pedals.



And now for the best part. While Little Miss Sunshine was watching the action in one of the more dangerous corners, one guy slid out in the turn, and had a pretty good crash. We didn’t have to work on him though, but one guy captured it on video. Little Miss Sunshine asked the guy to e-mail her the video, so here it is:



He survived, and we didn’t have to give him any medical attention. This was all of the damage we saw:



It was a good day, and we actually enjoyed watching the roadies go round and round. We only had to work on one guy, and he was pretty scraped up. No video or photos from that crash, but he will live to ride another day. It’s nice to change things up once in a while, and view roadies in their natural habitat. You know, instead of watching them flail around on mountain bike trails.

Weekend Fun

It's becoming the norm around here on Mondays. I don't really have time for a full post, so I'm back blogging on my phone again.  I was busy as shit over the weekend, so I'll have to recap everything starting tomorrow. I may even have some crash action on video (not mine though.) See ya tomorrow.

Run Bike Run

Today’s post is all about my pal and neighbor, The Chili Man. Since he is kind of an honorary B-43 member, I’ll mention his adventures on here once in a while. He does have his own blog, but he hasn’t updated that thing in ages. Anyway, after building up a bike for him last year out of shit from my scrap heap, he’s taken quite a liking to cycling. I think his goal was to eventually compete in an XTERRA event, but he started off slow with the University City Duathlon last weekend. Lunchbox and I were there to show our support and also to volunteer, so we got to see all of the action.

Just before the race, he was getting all “limbered-up.”





Even local race promoter Neal Boyd was there. He was running the event and did a swell job.



After lengthy pre-race announcements, they were ready to go. Even though he was nervous, The Chili Man was still having a good time. He’s all about hamming it up for the camera.



We waited by the trail exit for the first run to be finished. It was a 5K run, so I figured I would see him in less than thirty minutes or so. The last leg of the run had them going up a tough hill, but that didn’t break The Chili Man’s spirit.



After a short transition, he grabbed his homemade bike and hit the road. There were a lot of serious roadies and triathlon types there, but The Chili Man was riding a mountain bike (with slick tires.) I didn’t have time to get him used to riding my road bike, or else he could have ridden it for the race. That didn’t matter though, because he was just as serious as the other participants.



It was about a twelve mile or so bike course, consisting of two loops. He’s been riding a lot, so I knew he would be okay out there. I saw lots of folks on “real” road bikes out there, and they looked like they would have a rough time on the course. The Chili Man however, would not. After what seemed like no time at all, he returned from the bike leg of the event.



The last run would be much shorter. I forgot the exact distance (and I’m too lazy to look it up), but I’m pretty sure it was less than two miles. Usually when you run after riding a bike for so long, your legs get all wonky. He said it kind of feels like that episode of Friends. I saw what he was talking about.



After waiting hardly any time at all, he returned. We had all gathered around the finish line to watch him come in and to cheer him on. He didn’t disappoint either, because he did a damn cartwheel as he crossed the line. I wasn’t expecting that, but I had the camera out anyway to catch the landing.


I would’ve busted my ass for sure.


When it was all said and done, he finished his first duathlon better than he thought he would. In fact he ended up in fourth place in his class. Not too bad for a rookie. He had fun, and definitely entertained everyone that was there (that is what he does best.) I’m proud of him, and I hope to see him enter a few more races. In fact, I’ve been trying to talk him into some mountain bike races, but we’ll see how that goes.


I have a really busy weekend coming up, so I will hopefully have lots to talk about when I come back next week. Why don’t you come back and see what happened? I’ll be here, and you should be too.

Small Time

After months of neglect, I finally busted out my smalled-wheeled bike, Goose. You know, my Diamondback Sortie. There is a review of one in the latest issue of Dirt Rag, by the way. Anyway, it’s been a long time since I even entertained the thought of riding it, but Little Miss Sunshine suggested that I take it out once in a while to give it some love. The truth is, I’ve been a little hesitant to ride it. No, not because I’m on the Bike29 team. I’m sure George wouldn’t mind me riding little wheels every once in a while. Actually, the real reason is because I broke a rib the last time I rode it. I put it away that day and it has been sitting ever since. Well, except for the time that Lunchbox borrowed it for a ride.


Anyway, the DPC and I rode over at Poplar Tent, our local mountain biking playground. That place is always fun, but it’s been quite some time since I’ve ridden there on small wheels. We started out at a pretty mellow pace, since I was getting used to being lower to the ground again. I had trouble climbing, and the downhill stuff was just plain scary. Those 26” wheels felt all squirrely, and I seemed like I would loose control at any given moment. I did not like that feeling, but I had no choice since we were already into the ride.


Since the DPC was on his 29er, I had a hard time keeping up at first. Eventually though, I got used to the small bike and kept up with him on the downhill stuff. However, every little drop off and jump felt ten times taller than it actually was. I didn’t think that big wheels made that much of a difference, but I guess they do. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I’m no longer used to such a small bike. One thing was awesome though. The suspension. Five inches of front and rear travel made for a really comfortable ride. I felt like I was sitting on a couch the whole time. Now, if I could just get than handling thing down, I would be good to go.


About six miles in, I was getting a little more comfortable. I started hitting the jumps at full speed, and trying to get as much air as I could. It was fun, especially since I started taking bigger risks. I still felt like the bike would squirt out from beneath me any any time, but I enjoyed that danger. Hell, I even hit the teeter totter for old times sake.



Holy shit. I just noticed how little that bike looks underneath me. I don't feel like some kind of giant dude, but the bike makes me look like a damned Sasquatch on it. The frame is an XL (21 inches), but those tiny wheels make give the appearance of me riding a kid’s bike. That probably had a lot to do with the lack of handling I was experiencing. I did enjoy the ride, although I probably won’t be riding that squishy bike a whole lot in the future. I’ll still break it out from time to time to have a little fun, but my 29er is definitely the right bike for me. It’s nice to have several bikes to choose from when I ride though, for sure. Maybe I should start looking into a full squish 29er, and sell off my trusty Goose. Nah, I’ll hang onto it. That little bike and I have been through a lot together.

And Then There Was One

One lap to go. With a fresh Clean Bottle provided by the Dirty Party Cycle just before I headed out for lap two, I was ready. The problem was, my body wasn’t ready. After doing way too much of a warm up and being dehydrated, I was hurting pretty bad. Also, since Mr. Flat Tire was determined not to DNF, I figured that he would fix his bicycle ailment and come after me. I pushed down the gravel road back to the singletrack, and wished for the best. Like my Grandma used to say though, “You can wish in one hand and shit in the other, and see which one fills up faster.” I was destined to be in a world of shit, it seemed.


Once I hit the singletrack, I flew down the trail. I was going pretty fast, and I used the downhill stuff to try to recover. My stand up and climb legs were gone, so I struggled to get up every small hill. I had no choice but to suffer through it, but I was starting to wonder if I could make it to the end. This is the first race I where I wondered if I could even finish, let alone stay out of last place. I kept the thought of Mr. Flat Tire in my head, and tried to use that to get me through the last painful lap.


I wasn’t doing too bad, but there was another problem. After finishing one lap and being well into the second, I noticed that I was getting really close to the seventeen mile mark on my computer (yes, I reset it after my warm up.) When the display said fifteen miles, I knew for sure that there was more than two miles to go. I was on my third pass through this section of trail (thanks to my warm up lap), so I knew there was plenty left. I tried to remember what was left, but I was drawing a blank. I was just riding as fast as I could at that point, and tried to forget that my legs weren’t cooperating. I was already halfway through my water bottle, so I had to finish one way or the other.


The highlight of that section was a trail creature I encountered. As I was winding through the singletrack, I saw a good sized king snake on the trail. I stopped for a second to move him off the trail, but he didn’t wait around for my help. It’s times like those that I wished I carried a camera while I rode. I got back to pedalling and moved on down the trail, leaving my new snake pal behind.


Out of nowhere, I reached the point where the trail splits off for the second lap (which avoided the “technical” section.) I knew there couldn’t be much left, so I hauled ass down the trail and gave it everything I had. After one small climb, I was back on a doubletrack downhill. It didn’t last long, and I was back in the woods. I knew this was the final leg, and I didn’t see anyone behind me. Was Mr. Flat Tire gaining on me? Would he appear out of nowhere and pass me? I didn’t give a shit at that point, since I was in survival mode. It was good motivation though, and it was probably the only thing that kept me going.


Speaking of motivation, local Charlotte rider Rodney B. was waiting in the woods near the spot where Lunchbox saw me on lap one. He shouted out some words of encouragement that really helped, but I’m not sure if I acknowledged him. I meant to, but the words just didn’t come out. He was kind enough to get a photo of me though.



Honestly, I can’t remember what he said, but it still kept me going. With the finish line near, I gave it whatever I had left. I must not have been going that fast though, because he managed to get a photo of me as I rode away.



Big thanks for the photos, and the cheering.

I crossed one small section of gravel road, and then it was a tiny bit more singletrack. I was still all alone, and the finish line was in sight. I mashed across the grass to cross the finish line, and I heard some people cheering for me. I was in such a haze though, that I don’t think I even looked their way. When it was all said and done, I finished in 5th place. I have to say that it was the hardest 5th place finish I’ve ever had. Hell, I won a race two years ago that wasn’t this difficult. I rode around for a bit before I got off my bike, because I was sure that my legs would seize up and take me down to the ground if I stopped.

After resting a bit, I saw Mr. Flat Tire come in. If I would’ve stopped to walk anything or had another mechanical, I’m pretty sure that he would’ve caught up to me. He swapped out his front wheel and managed to finish the race. I guess I should quit bitching about how hard my race was, huh?

I actually did have fun, but it was tough. My decision to go with only one water bottle should have cost me, but the DPC saved my ass. Also, piss poor planning on my warm up lap left me spent, with way too little energy to race. It was hot as shit out there too, but I’ll get used to that eventually. Even though I got there extra early before my race started, I didn’t prepare properly. Maybe it’s better when I show up at the last minute and hop on my bike to race. That’s my style anyway. Damn all this planning stuff. It just causes problems.