The long and tall of it.

Annie's parents came into town for the weekend, but I was still able to sneak away for a mountain adventure.  Using the Avenza App I downloaded a map of the South Pisgah Ranger District and devised a route based on minimal experience in the area.  The best part of the maps you download through the Avenza App is that they use your phone's GPS (even with no signal) to pinpoint your location on the map - very sweet feature indeed!.  The goal was gravel/forest roads and it wasn't too hard to put a route together.

I wasn't sure what to expect elevation ride throughout the entire ride so I geared closer to what I had ridden Clawhammer to Black Mountain on the Glow Worm (since I would be starting with Clawhammer and riding it all the way to the top).  I was definitely spinning my ass off as I started up Avery Creek Rd and wasn't sure if it was more or less than last time... last time I was riding with a group and we were not in a rush.  I was also unsure of how gearing would be different on a mountain bike versus the cx... either way, I was riding what I had.

Even before starting up Clawhammer I knew that the climbing would be more of a mental challenge than a physical one (not to say it wouldn't test me physically as well) but last time I had Good Guy Greg to use as motivation to keep moving when my legs complained... this time I was alone.  Luckily I was not entirely alone out there, I had a support crew of butterflies flittering around me as I made my way up.  Before long caught a glimpse of some real company, I spotted a rider ahead of me.  I used him as motivation to keep spinning up the road.  I passed him on a switchback and exchange pleasantries before leaving him behind.  Not too long after I spotted a pair of riders ahead, and again used them as motivation as I cranked my way to the top.  Again I exchanged pleasantries and kept on trucking.

Eventually I had to stop to check the map as I was closing in on the top of the road, but wasn't sure if I should go left or take 5057.  As I was checking which was to go two riders came up 5057 (which was not my planned route) and headed up - I followed shortly thereafter up to the top.  My plan was to then turn around and descend Clawhammer and then continue up Avery Creek Rd.  I chatted with the riders, discussing the impending weather.  30% chance of rain (thunderstorms) and it had already started sprinkling.  The slight rain was more than welcomed as it was hotter than I had expected (mid high 80s), but the skies were looking evil.  One of the riders mentioned that his father had been directly hit by lightning, and his wife had been in water that was struck... pretty unlucky family!!  We discussed each other's plans (they were descending Black of course) and they offered a better alternative than returning the way I came - head down Buckhorn Gap.  THIS was the knowledge I was lacking for the area - what trails were cx compatible?  I'm good with roots and rocks, but after having ridden Black Mountain I know things can get insane - and that is not where I want to be with skinny tires and drop bars!

The trail was an absolute blast

until the skies completely opened up a minute later

 
My glasses were quickly rendered useless and my brakes were filling with sandy grit... but it was still a blast.  There was some weak rumblings of thunder that seemed off in the distance as I continued down the vegetation tunnel.  Soon I popped out onto a Forest Service Rd.  My newly suggested route had been to then take Pink Beds (more singletrack) to Route 276 back to the Ranger Station, but I was feeling good and I was now back into Service Roads I had actually planned on riding, so I jumped back into my original plan of grinding out miles.

From what a quick glance at the phone sized pdf map showed I wasn't expecting too much elevation heading out on Yellow Gap Rd toward the North Mills Recreation Area.  There was some climbing to do, and a lot of descending towards the end.  It felt like a lot to be honest, and had me somewhat worried about the return climb.  Descending was pretty damn fun on the Silk Worm, but wearing a pack did start hurting my back when tucked in for so long.  At the bottom I refilled a water bottle at the camp site and started back up from where I just came.  The strangest thing happened... the climbing wasn't nearly as bad as I thought!  Something I started to notice out there, even on the slightest bit of decline the Silk Worm just seems to take off... the bike just wants to go fast!

Climbing better than I had expected and gaining speed where I could I was having a blast.  Randomly out of nowhere my rear wheel started getting squishy, and I started to "feel" the gravel through my rear wheel so I quickly pulled to the side to check it out.  I was (of course) running tubeless and couldn't find any evidence of a puncture (no sealant showing).  I spun the wheel slowly listening for a leak... nothing.  Maybe I just burped it coming down too hard??  I pulled the pump out and threw some air back in.

    A couple times actually... I couldn't seem to get it filled up to where I wanted it... still no sign of a leak... I hopped on hoping that riding it would get it to seal any leak... soft again in no time.  I pulled off again to pump it up again and quickly determined this would likely be an ongoing battle.  Befuddled at the air lose I gave in a put in a tube.

At this point I had been out for hours and was feeling it a little.  Add to the uncertainty of the mileage left to go before getting back to the car, not to mention the unknown elevation left to conquer ahead once I got back to where I had entered Yellow Gap, and a little worry crept in.  I simultaneously tested and babied my rear tire hoping that it wouldn't go flat.  I couldn't locate anything in the tire that would puncture it, but I had my doubts that there wasn't something in the tire that was going to destroy my tube (I did have another if needed).  Then there was the worry of a pinch flat (when I got back to the pterodactyl I checked the air pressure in the rear, 20 psi - guess I hadn't pumped long enough!  On the bright side, I guess I know I can run lower pressure and be ok) floating in the back of my head anytime I was descending over rough stuff.  I had brought lights, a rain coat, and a long sleeve and I still had a little food, and if things got real bad there were road side campers I could look to for assistance... but to be honest, my real worry was the length of time I was out.  I hadn't planned to be out this long, and I knew that Annie would certainly start to wonder at some point and I had no way of contacting her until I was out of the forest and back into Brevard.  

With the tube in I rode on.  Soon I was back to where I jumped on Yellow Gap so I knew "all" I had to do was continue on Yellow Gap to Route 276 (which I could ride all the way back if I wanted) and jump back onto 477 - Avery Creek Rd back to the Ranger Station.  I checked my map to gauge how far until Route 276... no idea, but it didn't look as close as I would have liked it, so onward I rode.  The road surprised me as I ran into it, I guess it wasn't so far after all.  Short stretch of pavement and then a left onto 477.  I was here to hit the gravel/forest road, and hit them I would!  

For some reason I pictured 477 to be all downhill form this point, I was wrong.  As soon as I turned in it went up.  I walked a little but quickly shut that idea out of my head and jumped back on the bike.  Not too long after I had to stop to take a picture... I was getting to be done with this ride, and it seemed that Mother Nature was telling my it was closing time as well.

  

As I was putting my phone away a Subaru came down out of the fog, she needed directions back to Brevard.  I told her she was close to Route 276 and all she had to do was take a left and it would take her back to town - she was thankful, but it left me wondering what the terrain ahead was going to be for me?  I climbed for a bit longer, each time the road twisted around the hill side I imagined it would start heading down, after 2-3 turns it did... and it did in a big way!  My rear tire continued to cause me worry (but held up fine) and my back started to scream over the extended descent.  Out of nowhere the horse barn popped up and I yelled (literately) "I love you horse barn!"  Typically the horse barn signifies the beginning of the climb up Clawhammer (suffering), but this time it let me know that the end wasn't far off now.

I made it back.  Dirty, tired, and happy!

I may or may not change out my rear tire and go Clement X'plor front and back... still not sure.  The current set up did fine, a little slippage on looser climbs, but that might just be the name of the game.  I know I will try to go pack less next time... but there are things you need to carry when out in Pisgah (especially alone) so we shall see.  But there will be a next time for certain, many more next times between the Silk Worm and the Glow Worm (and probably even the HiFi).  The mountains are too great to visit so infrequently!

Really? Now you do it?

Media Fridays

We'll posts videos or photos that will hopefully inspire trail shredding weekends.

Love/Hate this.  These trails were right down the street (less than a mile) from the school I worked at up in Mass.  Love that they are doing this... Hate that it wasn't happening while I was still up there.  Looks like they got a great turn out and sounds like it's going to be a good thing going strong for a while to come... here's some info from one of the sponsors.

more stuffs

Besides the sweet seat post, which I've hopefully remedied with a new Niner collar.  TheMutt mentioned he might have one for me, but since he had just helped TomTom build up his Niner I figured it may have already been gifted, so I stopped by The Cycle Path to get my own.  When I got home I received the following text:

I certainly do appreciate TheMutts generosity (or just over abundance of seatpost collars...), but I'd already supported my LBS, so I installed my hard earned collar - fingers crossed this will be a more effective part than the piece that came on the frame (not a Niner).  

Other new bits that I got the other day... and are still sitting uninstalled in the same exact place where I took pictures of them...

I wanted a red chainring to bling out the Silk Worm, but alas the cranks were 110, and the red stuff were 104... (to the laymens, basic difference is one has 5 bolts, the other has 4).  In any case, I got a more trail friendly, and climb friendly, chainring so I can start grinding down some mountainsides.  I also tossed a garmins mount in my virtual chopping cart so I wouldn't have to continually swap mounts between bikes.  not overly difficult, but enough of a bother that throwing a few bucks at the problem seemed worth it.

Clement X'Plor MSO, for more cushion (40) in the front.  It's like the Ardent of the gravel world.  I'm going to run the Silk Worm like the Glow Worm, fatter up front and "normal" in the rear.

Pink Twin Six water bottle... another virtual shopping cart good price grab.  Plus it's pink.  Figured it would go nicely with my Cx Pistols kit.  

White water bottle cage.  Not for the Silk Worm.  I cannibalized a black cage from Georgia so that I could stow two bottles on the Silk Worm.  I had been running one white and one black on Georgia to meld with the paint scheme, but figured two white might look right.

5 Hour Energy - not ordered.  FREE.  And the puppy approved.

post haste

So how was the first ride(s) on the new Ritchey WCS Alloy 1-Bolt seatpost?  Glorious...ish.

GLORIOUS:

Performance wise I felt no different between the alloy and my previous carbon seatpost.  So it does not appear I lost any magical dampening that might come along with carbon - or at least the carbon I had.  Would more expensive carbon sing a sweeter song, perhaps.  But for my purpASSes, no loss in the switch.

Position wise it felt great.  I had the 18 back on so my EBB was in a more forward position.  This was the only situation where I was a little uneasy with the setback - would I be too far back when the EBB was forward? Answer, nope.  I had my seat shifted slightly forward so it about evened things out, leaving me feeling I was in a great position.

ISH:

A picture speaks a thousand words, and in my case, most of them were curse words...

As you can see, there was slippage.  It was minor, but it was enough that I noticed, stopped and adjusted.  Even after cranking that sucker down as mush as humanly possible I had the TINIEST of slippage on the social lap...

The brain trust (riders partaking in the social ride) decided it was a clamp issue - that will be addressed prior to my next ride... I don't want to ruin another seatpost because a simple piece of plastic is not up to doing it's damn job.  Prolly a Niner or Salsa will be called in to take care of clamping business.  

Since I was already testing out my new seatpost I was named guinea pig of the ride and I mixed up a bottle of this stuff:  EO2 Edge  TheMutt scored a bunch of this after the Catawba Riverfront Classic this weekend and as we all know: free stuff is for me stuff.  Or so I thought... 

The flavor - Cola.  Not my first choice for hydration.  I like a coca-cola AFTER a ride, but slugging it down for hydration during a ride... dunno.  I mixed it up faithfully following their polite instructions "please use 1/2 per 8-10 ounces of water."  They said please, so I obliged.  I'm not sure how close it actually gets to a cola flavor either... kinda like those (if memory serves) and with a diet tinge to it.  I'll put it out there, I am not a fan of diet soda.  At all.  It tastes like cancer.

I gave it a whiff, and I must say it wasn't so inviting.  I screwed the cap on and took a swig.  No sir, I don't like it.  I'm a texture guy and this was slimy thick.  BUT, I was willing to give it a fair shot on the trail.  Directions call for drinking 8-10 ounces of this stuff prior to the ride, and then sipping on it every 20 minutes or so during exercise.  I can tell you right now, there is no way I'm just straight drinking 8-10 ounces of this stuff.  Small sips were more than I was willing to handle.

TheMutt documented the trial run, so you can go track him down to witness the joy I was experiencing for yourself.  I drank a bit over half throughout our ride.  I tried to finish it at the end of the ride but couldn't bring myself to downing the rest of my bottle, so I dumped it out and finished off another bottle of water as a sort of cleanse.

After the ride we went to Jake's Good Eats - AWESOME place.  Great food!  Awesome hospitality - they don't even mind smelly mountain bikers coming in close to closing time!  This is the second time I've been there (both post ride) but it is a place I want to bring Annie to.  Entering the establishment (an 80 year old gas station) you would never imagine the culinary greatness that greats you, it's delicious.  But on this visit I couldn't eat all of my food.  Not too common for me at all.  I don't know if I can 100% contribute my inability to eat all of my dinner to this product sloshing around my stomach... but I'm pretty sure it didn't help.

Will I drink EO2 Edge (cola) again... not without rum... A LOT of rum... and maybe not even then.  Could it be better in a different flavor?  Perhaps.  But for me, the consistency is still a "no go."  

      

So in the case of EO2 Edge; free stuff is NOT for me stuff.

Thank you Mr. Postman

UPS came through, and the heavens shone down upon my glorious pile of bike stuffs.

Since it's Tuesday, and I'll be riding the Glow Worm tonight at a social pace (unless I get to the trail early for a hot lap) I'll focus on Glow Worm specific additions... or rather, addition.

Ritchey WCS Alloy 1-Bolt

Since my carbon post was driving me nuts (and I had scratched the hell out of it constantly readjusting tightening) it was time to remedy it with something new.  I debated for a while whether to get another carbon (and treat it right) or go alloy - specifically WHITE.  Well, you can see what won out in the end.  In reality (well the "reality" of holding things in each hand and "weighing" them) I don't think I've sacrificed any weight in the switch.  But I have gained a whole bunch of awesome - and the color is only the beginning!!

Check this out!  One bolt bitches!

Super sweet design with one bolt adjustment.  Saves on weight, space but adds on style and ease - I like that!!  It even came with rail "placement holders" which I will hold on to forever until I find a use for them... new residents for the random drawer.

So how does it look??

Clean... I felt bad putting a gorgeous clean post in my dirty bike... but that's how I roll.

I know, time for a new saddle

New grips too....

Too much white? Hell, I have white bars on the HiFi I could throw on here too if I wanted to completely mental, ha ha.

With the set back my bundle doesn't even detract from the glory!

My last post was straight, no set back - and it worked fine most of the time.  In some placements of the EBB I did feel a little out of position - so hopefully this will allow for adjustments to keep a more consistent positioning regardless of bottom bracket placement.

Adjustments so far have been soooooooo simple.  I'll get it dialed in (fore/aft, nose angle, and height) today and let you know how everything feels.  Will there be a difference in performance between the carbon and this alloy post?  If this thing stays put, will I even care??

I'll let you know.

Happy Birthmas

This weekend I didn't get to race.  A combination of slow delivery times (bike bits, not babies) and the after effects of a pulled tooth (wisdom tooth, more like "just dumb" tooth) left me staying local and not shredding gravel in the hills of West Virginia.

My plan was to ride over to the Whitewater Center to help Marshall.  The morning of showed 50% chance of rains pretty much all day.  I grabbed the chance to sleep later having decided I would drive over.  As I was getting ready to go I figured I should grab the Glow Worm in case I needed to ride the course to Marshall or take care of anything else.  As I was leaving the neighborhood I KNEW I would kick myself for not riding if it indeed didn't rain.  Hey, if I was racing and it rained, I would get wet... so what is a little rain on the ride home (it really didn't look like it was going to rain prior to arriving at the race...).  So I turned around.

Much later start to ride over there than I had originally planned, but I hoped on the Silk Worm and took off.  Not only was my start later, but my distance was completely off.  I didn't really pay attention to how far the ride was the last time I rode over there (I could have done the math and figured out a rough estimate from my total mileage for that ride... but instead I hung my hat on a foggy idea that when I had googled the route it said 12 miles).  It wasn't 12 miles.  It was 17 miles.  So again, later arrival than intended.  I got there as the end of the first field was heading out.

My time in the woods was pretty uneventful - I saw TheMutt coming through on his second lap but I hadn't prepped the camera function on my wicked intelligent phone, so no picture for him, just a "howdy."  I helped a couple preriding racers with line choice, and worried about some "casual" riders as they came by... yikes.  Other than that, I encouraged racers - until the Cat 2 guys came through.  Then I was picking up racers.  6 crashes on the second lap for the Cat 2 guys.  5 clipped a "safety" pipe that was supposed to keep riders from tumbling down the hill (don't know why I didn't take a picture to illustrate the randomness of the post, and the craziness of the clipage), and one had a root grab his rear wheel.  All creshees were generally ok and popped up to continue their race.

There was one "fatality" from the crashing, and it wasn't even a rider who crashed.  It was a rider who was following behind a crashed rider.  He had to slow roll it up the roller, balancing as the downed rider scrambled to his feet.  This caused his chain to drop as he powered to get going again as the trail cleared.  His bash guard my protect from things on the outside, but caused his chain to wedge in pretty good against this bottom bracket.  He couldn't get it unstuck - from any angle... so he called it.  He had the BEST attitude about it as well, I was pretty amazed since it wasn't even his fault... "that's mountain bike racing" was his exclamation as he hiked out.

Ok... so that was a longer spiel than I expected.  Anyway, today I expect 3 packages from 3 different vendors with bike goodies.  It will be like my birthday/christmas in May.  Birthmas, Bmas, Xday, Christday (sounds a bit sacrilege), or however you want to call it.  Anyway, I'll share all the goodies with the class tomorrow.




* I didn't say howdy.  I don't say howdy.  I prolly said "hey".  That's more my style.

POW! Right in the kisser

Whoever said getting a wisdom tooth pulled is no big deal is an ass!  Oh wait, that was me...

I got a wisdom tooth pulled on Monday. Besides it taking 2 hours and requiring 2 extra shots of novocaine throughout the process, I felt pretty ok Monday night. I totally expected to go to work yesterday. 

Then at about 4am when the pain meds wore off I awoke feeling like I had been in a wreck.

   

I did go to work, but just to pick up paperwork I could do at home... that was until I took a pain pill. Pain pill equals zero ability to focus on anything/random surges of sleepiness. 

Sooooo no social ride for me yesterday. Add the threat of something crazy sounding - dry socket - and I'm not doing anything that could bring that to fruition. The only thing that I do normally that could increase the chances of dry socket would be spitting. No, I'm not a cowboy walking around targeting spittoons.

But I do tend to spit when I ride, so this weekend becomes questionable. Sure I guess I could do my best NOT to spit, or just let the water dribble out after swishing water... but I also need to make sure everything is healing right. I wouldn't want my new blood clot to explode under heavy effort of a race. 

Plus, there is that whole thing of waiting for parts to come in for said race. I love when you get 2 day delivery, thinking that will give you plenty of time, when they won't even fill the order for 3-5 days.  One shipment is already projected to arrive the day after the race... I could race without that order - but I need the other order with the chainring for the race so I can keep my legs from blowing off my body on the climbs... So my second chance gravel race in West Virginia is most likely a no go.  Sucks. 

Blood sport

After my ritualistic blood letting on the trails of West Virginia the local trails demanded their offerings. Of course, blood was extracted not while riding, but as I did a little trail work during my pre social spin last Tuesday.

I was first forced to stop when I saw a horrendous go around. Not only were riders "escaping" one of the few rock patches in the whole damn trail system out at the Whitewater Center, but they were running over a sapling to do it!

The line is to the left. 

It's no boneyard!

If you can't ride over rocks, you might as well trample a sapling. 

I grabbed what was handy. I figured the riders afraid of the rocks would also be too afraid to mess with my Blair Witch deterrents and be forced to either ride or walk. We shall see. 

Soon after I hit a climbing switchback that had a low hanging limb/vine combo over the trail. I stopped to pull the widow maker down. 

I couldn't get it loose of the tree it was hanging in so I pulled it back away from the trail. 

As I was yanking it away from the trail the trail goblins took their toll. 

During the social ride the cut reopened which hurt like a B!  

Blood, bruises, scars, stories and smiles. That's what I come home from mountain biking with. 

Quick/slow

Media Fridays

We'll posts videos or photos that will hopefully inspire trail shredding weekends.

Short. Sweet. Slow. Gets you in the mood.

Bare Knuckle Brigade- Hiatus: 612 from T.C. Worley on Vimeo.

Kinda like your mother. 

I don't know... 

It's Friday. Ride your ass off the weekend and feel the week just melt away!!

West Virginia

I had one job and one mission while in Morgantown.  Build a bike, and ride my bike.  Where to ride... I had some options.  I could ride the Hilly Billy route (or part of it) as it left from Morgantown - but having the Glow Worm with me I wasn't too excited about that prospect, especially as I was surfing the google map to check the route and saw too much road for the Glow Worm right off the bat.  How about the Mountain State Dirty Double Roubaix - which actually fit into my (nonexistent) calendar.  Annie wasn't too sure how long it would take to get to Rowlesburg, but we knew the general area it was in - so we asked her dad.

"How do you get to Rowlesburg?" 

"You drive to Kingwood and take a right."

Really?  Yup.  Apparently once you get to Kingwood you either take a right or a left, and that's it.  Small town West Virginia, got to love it!

Saturday was the build a bike day, so I wasn't sure if I would get a ride in or not.  I had made a deal with myself that if I got up early I would go for a ride and then build the bike, but sleeping in was too sweet of a temptress so I built a bike on Saturday and postponed the riding until Sunday.  Annie's father and I tackled the bike while the ladies were out getting their nails did.  It was pretty straight forward, a little fussing to get the front brakes balanced and working well.  I wasn't happy with how they had routed the shifting cable behind the bar, but the grip was on there super tight so I didn't feel like wrestling it off to fix it.  Annie's dad was fine with the way it was so we let it be.  Overall she came out pretty damn sweet!

 

Saturday night we went out for a (pre)Birthday dinner, the food was great and we ended up with some extra wine as Annie's sister had called the restaurant to have two bottles sent to the table.  Thanks Kerri!!  

Sunday the plan was to hit the road back to Charlotte around noon, so I figured driving out to Kingwood and then banking a right would just be too much, with ride time, to get it all in... so I stayed local and hit up White Park.  My buddy Sean had talked about the trails there before, they used to (maybe still do) hold a weekday night summer series there, so I figured they'd give me something.  At first I wasn't too thrilled with the trails.  Sure there were some sweet jumps for those so inclined, but it was meh.  Then I found a section that I had apparently missed the first time and I was all about these trails.  The jumps continued and it seemed like every trail I was on I was headed in the opposite direction of the jump line, but I was having fun.  By the end I kinda got the direction down on some trails, but it seemed like no matter what you would have to climb up a downward designed trail... then again, this wasn't Charlotte and there weren't any directional trails.  

As I was winding up my ride I hit a trail I had been on a couple of times before and this time I decided to try to jump over a log that I had been front wheel tapping in each previous lap...  I was debating whether or not to totally hop it for too long apparently and timed my jump wrong - front wheel didn't clear the log sending me over the handlebars.  Sweet.

I had already been bleeding from a slow speed tumble, so a crash seemed fitting.  I was generally okay; bruised, helmet successfully tested, but good to go.  What's mountain biking without a little blood and dirt?

We hit the road for the long haul after a short but good visit.  I was hungry after riding so we stopped for a quick bite.

mmmmm them fries were good!!  And no, I was not driving at the time.  We were parked at the rest stop enjoying the show of a middle aged couple groping each other a few spots away...

ground control

I left the house yesterday without my pocket computer.  I realized it before I hit the highway, but I didn't have time to head back to get it if I wanted to pretend to be a responsible adult and get to work on time... so I didn't.  It was weird, but if I was to forget my phone on any day, yesterday was the day to do it because I was proctoring an AP exam in the afternoon.  And when you proctor, you can't do anything.  No reading, writing, no computer, no internet, no phone, no eating or drinking anything, just watching students take a test.  So for much of the day I would have been sans phone anyway... so blah.  BUT, that did mean I didn't get to post yesterday (typically my posts are a combo job... some on the phone, finish up on the computer).

This weekend Annie and I headed to her home town (which we've since decided that Boston feels more like our home town than our actual home towns...) to visit her parents for her birthday.  For all you nerds out there, her birthday is stars wars day.

However, we also celebrated yesterday - which is the birthday I'm pushing for - Cinco de Mayo!  Either way, I guess it's pretty cool.  Although our dinner wasn't fiesta themed, we did get a pretty sweet message on our way back to the car.

So there was that...

Anyway, back to the trip to West Virginia, or as some call it, Western Virginia.  Which will have to wait until tomorrow as it's the day AFTER course selections were do... so the craziness continues - back to being responsible.

  

What is a calendar?

Media Fridays

We'll posts videos or photos that will hopefully inspire trail shredding weekends.

Wow.

So we all know that keeping commitments straight is not my strong suit.  With a trip to WV this weekend I thought it might be a great opportunity to explore the Hilly Billy Roubaoix course a little to get an idea of what I'd be getting myself into in June. 

Then it dawned on me. I'll be in Aruba at some point in June... Checked with Annie, the keeper of my schedule, yup - we return on the 20th. Not gonna work. I mean, I guess I could drive the 5-6 hours up to Morgantown when we got off the plane and then race the next day, but let's face it, I'm no superman. 

Balls. 

Totally unrelated. My garmins "lost" ride data. I spun for like 30 minutes the other day while Annie was telling me about her day but that little computer is trying to tell me it didn't happen. Kinda blows. I mean, it was just me on the trainer, so I pretty much know what I did there, but makes me kinda nervous about actually losing a real ride where I would actual care about looking at my performance. 

Mush

My brain was complete mush yesterday.  Dunno why.  Maybe it's the restless sleep I've been getting lately.  Or the fact that I'm not eating throughout the day....

When I dropped off my wobbly rear wheel at The Cycle Path I couldn't remember my address...

I had to use google to figure it out!  

I hadn't checked the spokes on the wheel because I figured there would be some crazy tension (or rather, non-tension) going on since it was out of true, but when Mark was looking at it I realized how bad it was!!  One spoke was so loose it might as well not have even been attached to the rim!!  Hopefully it will be an easy retensioning/replacing spokes and there is no damage to the rim.

Annie caught me asleep the first (of many) time

Believe it or not, I was STARVING when I got home.  Annie got home soon after me so we went to the Teets to get something for dinner.  I grabbed a premade wrap while I was there.  I scarfed it down when I got home and then that was pretty much it.  I fell asleep on the double wide chair - it's legit!  I woke up at one point with Annie wanting to watch Survivor, but I couldn't do it.  I dragged my ass to bed.  No bike ride on the final day of April.

Am I sad about that?  Not really.  I had way too many "rides" consisting of a couple of minutes or less on the trainer, so it would have been somewhat of a hollow accomplishment.  I know that there was no definition of what constituted being on your bike, so everything counted.  But whatever.  I'm glad that I did actually ride my bike to do things that I normally wouldn't have done, so in a very real sense, the challenge accomplished it's mission - as I will continue to ride to the store, events, meetings, etc whenever possible.

footnote.  The Cycle Path has a .net website - how awesome is that!?  I didn't even know those still existed!