Cat One or Bust

I wake up this morning to find this in my blogger feed:

Sorry joe aguero.... I don't need to "Lose Weight Today."  Why the hell has this taken over my blog feed??  I did a little investigating, cause I'm all crafty like that, and it appears TJ has neglected his blog for far to long and Mr. joe aguero snaked his address.  Hence, the flood of weight lose tips of uncertain validity.

Whelp, looks like catoneorbust.blogspot.com is coming out of the rotation.  Ahhhhh, all better.

Ok, race report time (finally)!!!

The Riverfront Classic is on my home turf I suppose, with it being at the Whitewater Center and all.  I figured if I'm gonna race it, this would be the race to break out the Glow Worm.  I had ridden the Glow Worm out at the Whitewater Center once before making the decision, and felt that I was able to clean everything on it.  But, to decide if I was going to race it I felt I should get back out there to really test if the 20 in the back would be too spiny on the vertically challenged sections.  On it's maiden voyage out there I had skipped Carpet, so when it came to Goat Hill I was fine and dandy - even enjoying it.  On my "pre-ride," pushing the pace, I hit everything that would  be included in the race... and the Carpet - Goat Hill combo produced less than stellar results - namely dry heaving 3/4 the way up.  You can read about that ride here.

Strava told me I PR'd a whole bunch of stuff on that ride, so I figured I'd be able to stay competitive (fingers crossed) on the Glow Worm.  A few days before the race someone on the local forums posted that the course was being adjusted and Figure 8 would be out and the powerline climb on the back side of Goat would be added.  I didn't know how to take this as this wasn't coming from the race promoter and I was figuring/guessing/HOPING this was just someone busting balls on the forums.  You see, I NEEDED Figure 8 to help thin the pack and allow me to pass/build a gap on the extended climb out.  That was my master plan really!!  Get up that thing fast, put in some time and then just go.  Hoping it would give me enough cushion to make it to each subsequent climb to gain more time...

I arrive at the Whitewater Center feeling tired and TomTom (who was course marshaling for the day - even though he could have killed it out there, so I guess thanks for not racing against me!!) confirmed that Figure 8 was indeed out.

CRAP.  Not even with an exclamation point.

I was deflated and my brain was scrambling.  Great, now how are things going to shake out?  I registered and headed out to see what the beginning would look like sans Figure 8.  We lost about a mile on the overall course.  We totally by-pass that extended climb I so badly wanted/needed (there was still a glimmer of hope we'd somehow still maintain that) and instead take a short climb to the fire road on top of the ridge line before descending.  The climb wasn't bad, and pretty short, so I was sure it could keep me competitive - especially with the fire road and downhill to follow.  I also checked my top speed - max at about 15/16 spinning my brains out... not going to hold anyone off in the flats, that's for sure.

I took off as fast as I could at the start and got into the first section of singletrack probably about 8th or so.  Things are slow going as people are bunching.  We break out into the open by the whitewater and spin city commences.  I'm surprised no one flies by me here so I hold as close as I can to the guys in front of me as we pop into the new section bypassing Figure 8.  I hit the climb and instantly pass the two riders in front of me.  I put in as much as I can to gain some space as I'm thinking they will retake me on the ridge.  They don't.  I hit the downhill and blast any incline I see.  I can see riders in front so I keep on keepin on.

I pass another rider and I see in front of me a familiar rider, John Dooley.  He's a regular podium contender so that is a shot of energy right there.  I'm guessing that puts me in about 4th then so I try to reel him in.  I gain ground on climbs, but quickly loose ground on anything going anywhere but up.  The last rider I passed has stuck with me - and this is where I start cursing not having that initial climb out of Figure 8 to give me space.  He asks to pass at the beginning of Carpet, and I let him... but am then stuck on his ass as we start climbing.

He wipes out as we approach the sharp switchback at the bottom of the actual carpet climb and I am able to squeeze by on the off camber trail.  I clear the carpet, passing two riders of unknown category on the climb and keep moving.  I still think I can see John up there so I push.  Dread starts to set in as I know I've been pushing too hard this early just trying to maintain my place on the flats with Goat Hill up next.  I'm not so worried about Goat itself - it's the straight lined climb up the backside on the powerlines I'm not looking forward to.

They took us into Goat up the fire road instead of the more straight and rocky singletrack approach so I had to make a hard right turn up and over a steep root to get into the climb, my back wheel spins out and I dab.  I pull to the side for the rider that has been following me and hop back on to pursue him.  He dismounts at the next switchback, forcing me off my bike.  As we get back on our bikes and start climbing I yell to him that I'm going to need to pass when he can, we are approaching another switchback so I figured he'd wait until after.   He doesn't, he suddenly pulls to the side to stop.  I was close to him trying to maintain my momentum and my front wheel rubs his as he swerves off to the side - sapping my energy.  I somehow maintain my balance and regain some semblance of momentum and power over the roots on the switchback.  By this time two riders had caught up to us and one jumps the inside line forcing me to pause to let him go.  I had to hold a tree to stay up and I let his team mate follow behind him.  I jump on their wheel and again need to pass as they aren't pushing as hard as I need to - but I'm stuck.

I follow them down the backside of Goat and we exit to the powerline climb where my heart drops.  "Spin as far up as you can and stand and power the rest."  I don't make it nearly as far as I know I need to sitting and that cracks my willpower.  I stand and power but decide to save my legs as I still have Toilet Bowl coming.  I hope off and hike it, jumping back on for the last quarter of the climb so I can carry something (speed... dignity) back into the trails.  I've lost the riders who passed me on the switchback, and I'm uncertain how many spots I lost on the powerline climb (wasn't sure what classes those passing were in).

The "deceptive" climb getting into the fire road before Way Station was brutal, but I forced my way through and tucked and spun to Way Station.  Did what I could to keep speed up but I didn't feel like I was catching anyone.  I hit Toilet Bowl with all I had and caught and passed two riders there (I think one was the rider who had gone down before carpet and had been yo-yoing with me) pushing through the exiting climbs.

At this point we are pretty much done.  Some descending, sharp armored climb then a short singletrack climb out to the finish.  I'm behind a rider,  who I don't believe is in my class, going into the sharp armored climb so I back off to give him space so that he can hopefully clean it so I don't run into it as I power up.  We both cleaned it and I take him instantly as we hit the open fire road.  I'm not sure if he knows how close we are to the end or not, but I put it all down.  Into the singletrack I hit the drop carrying as much speed as I can and I don't stop.  I just keep pushing to the point that I don't even feel the climb out - the Glow Worm is just eating trail up!!  I have to hit the brakes exiting as the trail winds between some close trees and there it is... the finish.  I push the cranks until I could spin no longer and I coast through the finish.  I find a place to ditch the bike and try to do a quick headcount to guess where I finished.  I see about 5 guys I know were in my class and had finished ahead of me so I'm thinking 6th in best case scenario.

I was close with my guess.  Came in 7th.  Would I have finished differently on the HiFi?  Maybe.  Maybe better, maybe worse?  Bottom line, I'm happy that I raced the Glow Worm.  In the end I was still able to push myself and have some fun out there.

Next race is Uwharrie.  I wasn't sure I'd be able to race this one (we close on our new house on the 30th of this month - holy shhh!!) but I just got the go ahead from Annie so I'm in.  Although I'd love to do the climbing with the Glow Worm - I think the HiFi will give a better advantage when it comes to opening up on the downhill sections there.

The Buff Stuff

Sunday Sean took me over to Lake Norman State Park.  WOW!!  All I can say is you have some FAST trails out there.  Seriously, the only thing to slow you down out there is your own fear of flying off a whoop-dee or skidding out of a corner.  Smooth buff stuff for days!!

They system consists of three loops.  Our plan was (due to the heat) to hit the first two, head back to the cars to re-up on hydration, and hit the last longer "more technical" loop.  Sean's rear tire was soft even before leaving, so I instructed him to pump it up BEFORE strapping it onto the pterodactyl as a flat wheel doesn't hold so well in a bike rack.  We ran through the first loop with a quickness.  Hit the first section of the second and Sean started washing out in hot corners - I thought he was hot dogging it... but now, it was a squishy wheel.  Threw some air in it and we were off to complete the circuit before hitting the parking lot to get some more liquids.  Not 5 minutes later and we had to stop to pump up again.... ugh.  Apparently Sean was time testing Stan's and a year was a bit over the limit between refreshing sealant...

Finished out the loop and Sean paused before throwing in a tube... is that enough for the day??  It certainly was balls hot outside, but this was my first riding weekend in NC and there was another trail to be had.... after a gatorade I insisted he continue.  We certainly saved the best for last!!

Laurel Loop is rated blue square "intermediate" whereas everything else is green circle "beginner/easy."  As we hit the trail I joked, "what, is there going to be a log across the trail??"  This certainly isn't the place to be for technical challenges.  Any logs present were complete with up and overs of either stacked logs, dirt, rocks, or a combination of all of the above.  I will admit that there was one steep short, but nothing that was hike-a-bike material.  Yet, Laurel was different from the rest.  The other trails seemed to zip along.  Minimal pedaling involved, needed as you could get your speed up and fly through the course.

Maybe it was the heat, maybe it was the dehydration, maybe it was the miles already turned... but Laurel was a bit more of a challenge.  A fun challenge!  But, I finally felt like I was mountain biking and not on a roller coaster.  What hit me hardest was the striking similarities (on a small scale) that Laurel had with some of the trails in VT.  After the short into to Laurel you hit the road, ride up a short bit and are back into the sinlgetrack.  As you clear the initial climb you enter what felt really close to Webs at Kingdom Trails.  It descended and turned, climbed and descended, twisting and turning in a VERY similar fashion.  Even the trees reminded me of Vermont.  It was eerie.  Later in the ride we crested a ridge to find a back and forth snaking trail straddling a flat bed between two ridges.  Not to the same degree (literally) as Sidewinder, but in the same vein.  Had we stumbled upon a miniature KT down in NC?

Will I ride Lake Norman again, YES!  Maybe I won't leave Laurel to the end so I'll have a bit more in the tank for the trails.  But amazing.  It's a one way trail system (unheard of in the north) which made things very easy.  No worries about letting it go and just scream around corners and downhill.  Very easy to follow and tons of friendly riders out there.  So far so good.  Although, after hitting the trails at Lake Norman I'm feeling like the HiFi is a bit overkill for the terrain.  Not necessarily a bad thing as this supports my desire to get a singlespeed.... I think a ss would be right at home at Lake Norman.

I've already been struggling over what I would get as a singlespeed rig... and the time is not yet here for me to actually pull the trigger, so I'll have plenty more time to look, investigate, drool, and then come back down to earth and be realistic as to an actual purchase.  But, any advice from the pros out there is more than welcome!!

Fresh

On my ride into work last week and my ride on Saturday I came to one glorious conclusion.... there is NOTHING better than nice, fresh, buttery smooth asphalt!!

On my ride into work I was going along at about 16mph and all of a sudden I hit it.  Fresh asphalt.  I swear nothing changed - cadence, power, nothing.  BUT, my speed went up at least 2 mph.  For real!!  It was amazing.  It felt sooooooo good... but of course it was a short stint and then back to the cracked vibration laden road surface.

I hit the same phenomenon this Saturday as I was cranking out nearly 50 miles.  This time the freshness was on an incline.  The smooth black-gold seemed to pull me up hill, and I took full advantage!  I just opened it up and flew up hill.  It was nothing short of glorious!! 

I picked up Georgia from the LBS yesterday after getting the complimentary tune up (had some miss-shifting and ghost shifting going on) and got the steer tube chopped so now I'm all "pro."  As I picked up Georgia I dropped off the HiFi to get the steer tube chopped on it - again, I'll be all "pro" with the stem slammed.  The guy at the shop complimented me on, what he considered "a nice stable going on there."  I thanked him and mentioned how lucky I was to have such a great and understanding wife.  And then I mentioned the next addition would be a singlespeed.  To which he replied he had just built one up for himself, so he brought it out to show me. 

A thing of beauty it was.  He built up a Sawyer with belt drive.  I got to take it for a spin around the parking lot, smooth!  The frame was a little heavy, but he put on all super light components to help combat the initial weight.  But man, that thing is sexy, looks like a piece of art!!

if it's not one thing,

it's another....

Every single time I go to run tubeless on the HiFi something has to go wrong.

Part of it just has to be the tire/rim compatibility.  Some tires set up quickly and "cleanly."  Others are a bit of a struggle and a mess.  But it's never just an easy job.  Never.

Yesterday was no different.  I got a package with a new tire (Ignitor) and some tape to seal up the rims.  I already had plenty of sealant.  So I got to work on the front wheel.  I throw the tape on the rim, work the tire on and fill it with air.  The tire sets up pretty fast (checking without sealant first) but has some air leakage.  Throw in the sealant, add some air....  and that's as far as we get.  Can't get the sealant to do it's thing - especially around the valve.  Which reminds me, the LBS threw out my other valve because it was "faulty" and then charged me for a Stan's rim strip.  So I can't even set up the rear wheel!

Don't get me wrong, the rim strips work - but I'd rather the lighter, and quicker to convert to a tube in the field, method of tape and stem.  Faulty stem again?  I dunno... but it's just not sealing up around the base, so sealant just keep spilling bubbling out.

I've now entered frustration station....  end up taping up the rear to just throw a tube back into it.  BLAH!

So I turned to this.

Dunno if new stems will do... or cutting up old tubes and using those stems.. or maybe just resign to the fact that I'll be running tubes for now so I can get out and ride - IF the weather ever cooperates.

Graduation tonight.  That is, of course, unless it's postponed until tomorrow.

Weekend fun

This past weekend was a weekend of riding adventures.  I hit up two trails that I have never ridden before.  First I went up to New Hampshire and rode the FOMBA trails.  They were only a little over an hour away, so not a big hike from me,  But still it's in another state, so that makes it an adventure in my book.  

The trails were built by mountain bikers, for mountain bikers - so that's always great start!  Each of the 10 trails had a nice sign with name and mileage.  The trails were short, hitting them all netted me 12 miles.  There is the possibility of extending mileage by riding the fireroads/snowmobile trails out around the area.  But it was super hot the day I rode, so the 12 miles was good enough for me!!

The trails were tight and twisting, so much that it was hard to maintain any real speed.  Smooth fast trail sections were few and far between as the terrain was very typical of the area, rooty and rocky.  There were no extended rock gardens, so it wasn't overly technical, but it was sprinkled with roots and rocks so you were constantly battling something.  I was able to string together all but one of the trails in a clockwise tour of the area. 

Here are a couple shots from the end of Red Pine: 



Armored climb



Typical tread... is that a ladder over there on the right?



A serious wooden roller

From the bottom

Rolling through the 9th trail I was suffering.  The heat was stifling and I was running low on water. Full on dehydration grabbed a hold of me and as I rounded each turn I was praying to see the fire road and a way back to the pterodactyl to grab fresh bottles.  I started hiking little ups that I should have been able to ride as I found myself locked in a full on suffer cave of doom.  

I downed two bottles at the car and when I "relieved" myself it was the darkest cooler dust  urine I have ever experienced.  Do I ride the last trail or call it quits?  I gave myself some time, drank all the water I could, leaving me with one left for the trail.  I had to ride it, I was here already.  Thankfully it was one of the easier trails, so I was able to fly through it and end my day. 

On Sunday I stayed in Massachusetts and headed towards the coast to hit up Carolina Hill.  The name is a little misleading because the trails never take you to Carolina Hill itself... weird.

The singletrack here was SWEET!!  Fast, flowing, packed... it was unbelievable!! 

Unfortunately, as happens whenever you explore a new area, I wasn't on the singletrack for the majority of the time.  There are a ton of fire roads/doubletrack throughout that isn't so fast and flowy.  The doubletrack offers a more rocky trail. 



Pictures never do the steepness of a trail justice



Rocky trails



I also ended up hitting a lot of singletrack that just ended.  Seems there needs to be more traffic out there to help keep the trails open and the overgrowth back.  There was a spot by a quarry where someone has been building a little jump/pump area.  It may be for the dirtbikes though (seemed to be plenty of evidence throughout of motorized activity).

A lot of trees down across trails as well.  Many of the trees down were hovering a couple inches off the ground making them impassable without dismounting.

I was able to ride under the far right side of this guy (just clipping the bottle in my jersey pocket)

With some maintenance and traffic this place could be a real sweet area.  There may already be a sweet loop hitting all the singletrack, but during my exploration it was hit and miss.  Definitely a decent place to hit if you are local, but not an area (in current conditions and without a guide) that I would return to with Wompatuck up the road.

I did end up leaving with a few souvenirs!!  I mentioned the ticks the other day.  As I was putting the HiFi on the pterodactyl I saw a twig sticking out from my tire.  I knew the tread was not thick enough to have a twig lodge between so I knew this wouldn't be good. 

Game of Thorns??

I'm not sure when I picked this guy up, but he was holding the air in, so I left it alone until I got home.  When I did pull it air shot out and the tire was flat in a matter of seconds.  Glad that didn't happen out on the trail!! 

I have also now discovered that I picked up some poison ivy on my shins as well, sweet bonus!!

It was nice riding some new trails, so I think I'll continue trying to hit some more new trails as I soak up the rooty, rocky glory that is New England mountain biking.

EW!!!!!!!

Ok, ready for the ride of randomness you are about to embark on??  Probably not, so hold on!!

Yesterday morning temps were PERFECT for the ride into work.  The humidity on the other hand was out of control.  On my hardest days on the road bike I haven't had sweat dripping down my brow like I did on the way to work... great way to start the day eh?  But it was good.  Traffic was pretty much nonexistent which was excellent.

So things to tweak for the next one... already have clothes and whatnot at work so I don't have to carry it.  It wasn't soooo bad with the bag of clothes on my back, but I did have to keep adjusting from time to time, so getting rid of that component would be nice.  For the ride home I did leave everything at work so it was just a nice (hot) ride back.  Traffic had picked up a bit, but was not out of control.  Traffic on the bike path was heavier with kids getting out of school, but still manageable.  In the end, 17.7 miles each way.  Not bad - took me about an hour and 8 minutes to get into work.  I think I'll try to at least ride once a week to school for the remainder of the school year.

Over the weekend I had a battle with ticks on one of my rides.  I have some sort of amazing ability to feel ticks when they are on me, so during the ride I knocked two off of me.  After the ride I killed another crawling up my leg.  Since Sunday the pterodactyl has sat parked, alone, and unused.  This morning on the way into work I felt something on my elbow while driving on the highway.  I looked down and saw something black so I brushed it off figuring it was a beetle of some sort.  It was curious as I didn't see anything flying around after that... oh well.

A little while later as I was hitting the side streets I felt something on my forearm again... this time I look and it's a tick!! 

I flick him and hear him hit the windshield... oh great, now where did he go.  I search the dash and see that he is crawling his way back to me.  I pick up a random battery in the center console and squish the bastard right there on the dash.  How many more are waiting to ambush me on the ride home?

Ok... so not wanting to go on forever, ride recaps will come later.  But I did want to mention bike changes real quick.  When I swapped out the new handlebar on the HiFi I was originally nervous that I would be too stretched out and whatnot.  Well, things have been feeling great with the bars.  So great that I finally started adjusting the height of the stem.  Yeah, I've been riding with spacers since I got the HiFi.  Dropped down one initially, but since haven't made any adjustments.  Since getting out on the road I feel like my posture is getting better - less straight up.  So I decided to take out the spacer and slam it down on the HiFi.  Instant magic!!  I felt great, and the HiFi felt like it was more responsive.  I'm loving it!  So now I just have to get the steer tube cut so I don't have a ridiculous nubbin sticking up at me.

I had been slowly working my way down the spacers on Georgia, so with the success and joy of the bar drop on the HiFi I decided that on my way home from work yesterday I'd drop it all the way and see how it felt.  Again, no discomfort from the new positioning, and in reality, I felt that I had much better posture.  I've got to take Georgia in for it's free tune up (already having some ghost shifting) so hopefully they can lop off the undesired nubbin.  I think I may go out for one more ride though on Georgia to be 100% certain before taking her in to the chop shop.

the wheels are(n't) rolling

I ended up dropping the HiFi off at the LBS as the rear wheel was just too out of true for me to handle.  I was struggling with the idea of getting a tune up as well... and in the end went with it.  More money, but it will be nice to have the bike all fresh, clean, and ready to race... Hopefully with the space (Bike Haven) of a new (eventual) house I can have a proper shop and learn to get all this maintenance done myself. 

Saturday we headed to CT to get the puppies as well as get out of the way of the home inspection.  I was excited at the opportunity to get in a road ride or two.  Ended up with just the one on Saturday due to a flat.  It was a nice little ride, pretty flat though.  I didn't want to take the chance on another ride on Sunday before heading back to Boston because I didn't have another spare tube and I wasn't even sure if my tire is still good.

It's got a slit across the middle of the tread that goes clear through.  Of course I didn't have my patch kit on me - so fingers crossed I made my way home.  I was nervous on the ride back that it would split open more... it didn't.  So I think it is something I can patch and glue and it will be good to go...  I would hate to think that road tires would need to be replaced so quickly.  No one ever said biking was a cheap sport!
I'm digging road biking, I seem to be able to kick my own ass thoroughly on road rides without hating myself (too much)... which will hopefully translate into positive results on the mountain bike. 

Bike Thong... it's what the cool kids wear!!

Annie and I spent a little time this weekend converting our extra bedroom into a training/workout room.
And, I got the HiFi fitted on the trainer!!  Took a little filing here and there, but now it's snug as a bug in a rug

If 29ers weren't tall enough... put it on a trainer and you better find yourself a step stool!

Yeah, I'm sporting the complete set - mat, bike thong, and phone/remote holder (not pictured, 2 climbing blocks).

I've got three, count em, three training videos to utilize.  The deal at the LBS was two videos, and they even dug up a mountain bike video for me.  When I got home and opened up the trainer out popped another video, and luck be a lady, it wasn't one I already had!!  SCHWEET!  

1. Mountain Biking (no longer available as a DVD - you can download it on your computer, but I got the classic DVD suckers!!) from the TrainRight series from Carmicheal Training Systems.

2. Force - from the realRides series with Robbie Ventura

3. Race Day  - from the realRides series with Robbie Ventura (the freebie!!)

Now I'm all set to get my "trainer on" once the weather completely turns on us... until then, I'll be tearing it up on the 4300 whenever possible... which will mean more forays into the realm of night riding!!

skrewerd!

So guess what??  The HiFi doesn't fit the trainer with it's current rear skewer... and of course the "trainer" QR they give you is too damn short for such a sweet ass ride....

So.... yeah...  The HiFi is all slicked up and ready to go!!  But, alas, it has no where to go.

ridiculous!!  

super slim, super fast... right?

Stopped by the un-nameable bike shop and they had nothing for me.  Informed me Specialized was coming out with a replacement part, but wasn't sure it would fit the Trek...  There HAS to be a skewer to fit the HiFi with a smaller "head" so it can fit the trainer!  First to figure out exactly how big this johnny is, and then I'll look for something with a smaller "head."  May stop back at International to see what they have to offer... if anything.  Otherwise it's either mount up the 4300 or file the holder to accommodate my damn skewer.

Oh yeah, I was going to talk about my race schedule... but I've entered frustration station so I'll leave it at that today, and go drink a beer.

Why would I pay attention??

By now I should know not to pay attention to weather forecasts and the random percentages they throw out to signify the chance for rain.  I succumbed to the forecast and did not ride on Sunday... when I totally could have!!!  So that was a missed opportunity.

Monday there was no debate, it was WET!!

Today I'm heading to Connecticut to drop the dogs off at my parents as we are getting new windows put in the front of our condo tomorrow... depending on the weather as I'm leaving Boston I may bring a bike along to hit a trail on the way back... I'm not holding my breath on that one though.

As you may have noticed from Annie's post, we hit up Cutler on Saturday.  Thursday I also hit up Cutler as I waited for the HiFi (which you can see here).  Riding the 4300 it was evident that there is a BIG difference between riding a 26er and a 29er.  After riding the HiFi for so long, I guess I pretty much forgot how awesome big wheels are.  On small wheels things slow you down that you don't even have to pay attention to on big boy wheels.  Speed itself seems to be your friend on 29 inch wheels, always ready to give you a lift... whereas on little wheels it seems like you are chasing to catch up to that bastard speed, and the minute you coast he flips you off and leaves you behind.

BIG V. small

BUT, it was refreshing to ride the 4300 alone, to remind me just what the trail is like for Annie.  It helped recenter me, bring me back to where I started on the trails and feel how trail features are a totally different challenge to a beginner on 26 inch wheels compared to someone riding 29 inch wheels.  Once I got used to actually having to focus a little more on the navigation piece, I quite enjoyed railing Cutler on the small wheels!!

Signed up for my final race of the season.  At this point I don't know exactly what to expect, but I'm positive.  I've had fun racing this season.  Results haven't been jaw dropping, but it's a start...  This season is my baseline - where I fall with little/no focused training.  Hopefully I can pull things together, get focused during the off season, and come back with a solid season next year.

Either way I have to say racing is a good time.  The people are great!  It's nice to see familiar faces from race to race, and it's been great getting to meet some other riders out there.

16th Annual Hodges Village Dam

After the race... and a beer
(which allowed fro some of the mud to dry up as I sat under the hatch of the pterodactyl)

Rain on a race day... rain the night before, the morning of, during, and I'm sure after.  As I arrived and headed to register the rain let up... maybe we'll get out there relatively dry??  Annie didn't attend the race due to the forecast, and I could not blame her at all.  I called my father before heading out to tell him not to come either - no use having them be miserable in the rain.

As I was getting my gear together to head out for my warm up it begins pouring.  I pause and watch the minutes tick by... will it end??  Eventually I just jumped on my bike and started out on the course.  Puddles (and I use the term lightly) are huge, spanning the sandy road to start the race.  Following my pre ride of the course on Saturday I had commented that a bit a of rain would be nice to help firm up the long sandy road which got extremely soft before heading back into the woods... but by no means did I mean for this much rain to hit.  I'm not actually sure if the rain helped or hindered on that road... as now we weren't contending with soft sand, but rather standing water.

Ok, so the race.  At the start I ponder if wearing my glasses will do anything as vision was slightly skewed from droplets on the lens.  My field started off quick and I was content in riding the back off the start knowing there were miles to go and plenty of time to pass.  As soon as we complete the first climb into the rocky doubletrack mud rendered me blind.  Not because my glasses were covered, but because mud somehow got up under my glasses (thus rendering them useless) and into my eye.  With my right eye burning and blurry I could feel the pack pulling away - catching glimpses of them as I turned corners.  The pain was too much and with wet muddy conditions I couldn't keep taking risks, I stopped.  My camelbak isn't much help as the hose won't dispense water into my eye, so I ripped off my glove and fill my cupped hand with water and attempt to rinse out my eye.  I had some success and get back to racing, for now.  I'm still not far off as I come up to a short steep climb I see riders from my class.  I push forward, but with constant rain washing mud and sweat into my eye my vision continues to deteriorate... I start thinking of calling it.  DNF... This season I didn't want a DNF or a DFL in a race, and at this point it looked like I'm destined for one of the two.  

As I exited the forest for the stretch of sandy road the rain starts to let up a little... my eye gets some relief from the barrage of pain and I'm able to get through the second half of the course without too much hesitation due to the eye.  Before hitting the start of lap 2 the rain is back so I make a deal with myself... get to the water station, flush out the eye, and then decide if I can continue or if I have to call it.  

After flushing my eye I figure I can continue so I push forward.  As I hit the short climb into the forest I see a rider ahead of me... is that someone from my class??  Can I climb back into this??  As I come upon the rider I discover it is my friend Pat from the age group below me - he's be having issues with his contacts, so I pull him along for a while before losing him in some muddy descents and corners.  I do my best to push on all roads and strive to have a better 2nd lap.  

Throughout the second lap I am forced to make two stops to again flush my eye.  The trail was looking less like a trail and more like a river as the rains continued and puddles merged from their individual entities into a constant stream at some points.  Eventually I come upon a rider in my class pushing his bike, I pause to see if I can help, but he has a torn sidewall so I push forward.

I'm bummed that my eye held me back as I felt conditions, although WET and muddy, weren't really a factor holding me back from being able to race my race.  I am happy that the wet conditions didn't cause me to overly back off or fear the wet roots as I did at Weeping Willow.  I'm not sure where I would have ended up had I not had eye issues, but it would have been a bit more fun!!  So even though results don't indicate a success, I think this race was a great experience for me as I start looking forward to next season.

Hifi not looking so bad, but sounded TERRIBLE with sandy guck rendering my brakes useless on the second lap.
Check out the camelbak, with it's mud covered bottom and whatnot

Earlier I mentioned waiting for a package... well it arrived on Saturday before I left for the pre ride.  Extra tube and tire levers nice and secure under the saddle thanks to my sweet orange Awesome Strap... Now to get a co2 cartridge to pack in there so I can take the pump off the HiFi.  I like the idea of being able to store that stuff for quick easy access (not to mention less to stuff in jersey pockets/camelbak)

Grossness all up in the tire levers

All is good...

Memorial Day weekend Annie flew down to Austin to visit a friend.  This left me with a couple options.  1. Take the dogs and bike down to Connecticut for a family cookout and explore trails down there.
2. Do the unthinkable and go ride Kingdom Trails with the masses that were sure to arrive for the weekend.
3.  Stay in Southie, get some rides in, find some activities for the dogs, and surprise my lovely wife by fixing up the back "yard" after the mess of a state it was in post-winter.

I went with lucky number 3.  I wasn't the only one to stay in Southie for the weekend.  Lot's of fun had by all.

I got one ride in... and it was a haul of a ride.  I went down to Oxford MA - almost 3/4 the way to my parents house in CT - to ride Hodges Dam (the site of an upcoming race).  I searched the internets to find any clue as to a race course, but alas I came up empty handed.  I figured a long weekend was a good excuse to take an hour drive to ride and explore the area, at least I'd get a feel for the terrain.

It was a fun ride, a hot ride.  A lot of motorcycle activity, but the trails were good.  Nothing technical, although it was littered with rocks and roots.  In about an hour I rode most of the trails.  I found myself back at the car so I called Annie to check in on how her trip was going before I hit the trails again to catch an option I hadn't hit the first time through.  I didn't want to end with just an hour on the trails when the ride out was an hour.  I created a new rule.  Ride time must be greater than half of the commute time.  I thought about equalling commute time, but I did have to get back to do parts B and C of my weekend.

Ran to Home Depot and got a bunch of mulch and top soil.  

Maggie checking our the new ground cover while Scout...
who knows what Scout is ever doing?

I had built some planter boxes at the end of last summer but never got around to actually utilizing them... so I got them ready for planting with some fresh top soil (I'd let Annie decide what she wanted in them).  While working I noticed our dwarf pear tree, which I planted when I first did major work on the "yard" two years ago, is finally showing signs of pear production.

mmm fresh Southie produce

After I got the "yard" in order I ran to the package store to pick up some beers... needed a refreshment after a good ride and some solid labor.  Then off for a walk with the dogs.  They were super excited, but did well on the walk.  We made our way down to a local dog park to find that the gate had been chained up and now adorned "no trespassing" signs... oh well.  The dogs were panting from the heat so we continued on to make a big loop back home.  They rested well that night.

Update:  The pterodactyl is back and road worthy, and it was covered by my extended warranty so I get to keep my $1100 - hells yes!!!  But of course you never escape unscathed.  My rear shocks are leaking (quoted as almost $700 for parts and labor) but they didn't have the parts, and my front brakes are down to 25%.... so sooner than later I'll be back in there.  Blarg.

Annie picked me up as it looked like I'd be sitting there for a while and we grabbed some lunch in the area.  Close by was a bike shop... one that I normally like to keep away from (just not the best experiences there in the past) but decided to check out what tires they had there.  Grabbed this guy for the rear.

you can see the sealant doing it's thing.

 As you see, got the HiFi all set up tubeless and ready to go.  I'm not going to lie, I'm still not 100% confident with the whole deal.  I'm worried there isn't enough sealant in either tire, only time will tell (I used all I have thus far... I'll likely add more at some point just to be certain).  I did take a quick spin around the neighborhood, hopped some potholes and took it over some curbs and so far so good.

The guys at the shop had good things to say about the Ignitor, and it looks a tab more aggressive than the JonesXR I had, so I went with their recommendation.  If things go well, may find some new rubber on the front wheel before the end of the season - only time will tell.  

After I got my bike all set up I threw on some new fun on Annie's Wahoo.  You won't get any details from me here, (I've learned my lesson!) but look for Annie to give you the low down sometime soon.

Hodge Podge

Only got one ride in while down in Charlotte but it was FUN!!!  Although the weather wasn't horrible during our visit, it still didn't completely cooperate with my planned 3 rides over our brisk visit to the Queen City.

So where did we get to ride???  Settle down there, don't get overly excited.  And don't jump down our throats getting all twisted that we didn't even ride the "best" the area has to offer.  So we got into town on Wednesday and got to witness some fun times.  I even took some pictures.  I had planned on getting back to ride the trails there as I was very curious... the section we were at was very buff fast singletrack.  I asked one of the promoters about the trail and he did describe it as rooty and technical.  I really do need to see what "rooty" in NC means to "rooty" in NE... how do the two compare?  But alas, it rained the morning we were to experience Beatty.

So Thursday we got up and had an awesome breakfast before hitting.... drum roll please... USNWC.  Take it easy.  This was a good choice for our starting point of Charlotte trails in that it was 1. close by 2. clearly defined trail system with user ability labeled trails and 3. sounded like a neat little facility what with the whitewater rafting, kayaking, rock climbing, zip lining, canyoneering adventure land.  Annie and I headed out on the green loop.  This was the first all singletrack ride Annie was embarking on so I wanted to ensure it was a success (and figured any facility that was labeling trails with the green circle, blue square, black diamond system would be the place).  And as always, Annie took it down like a champ.  Well, she did want to vomit and that was my fault.  In my excitement for some southern hospitality I chose a breakfast place that loaded us up heavier than we needed to be for a bike ride... it was good, but too much.

Battle Axe Warrior

Wow... things got busy real fast!!

Got a preride in on Sunday at Winding Trails.  The course is looking NICE!!  And it's a good thing I missed the first ride and attended this past weekend as a section was just completed and added on Wednesday.  A lot more singletrack than I expected.  And A LOT MORE climbs that I expected. It's a 5 mile loop and as a First Timer I'll just bang out one lap.  I'm good with that.

During the preride I felt ok... didn't warm up.  I have to start doing that!!!  It was a good pace for the ride (I was with a pack of 6 or so).  I defintely got a good sense of where I'll be able to pass (if I can pass that is) which is key.  Technically it's not a difficult trail.  Some roots, but those are hardly noticeable on the HiFi.  There are a bunch of logs down across the trail, most are small but there are two that are big ring catchers... so I want to practice getting over larger logs smoother this week.  The other BIG thing I need to practice is putting my damn bottle back while riding.  On my first lap I took a drink on a fire road straight away and I couldn't seem to find the cage to get it back in before a quick turn onto singletrack came up... so on the brakes I was pulling.  Hopefully I won't be dehydrated (like I was a bit on Sunday) for the race so drinking won't be such an issue for a 5 miler... but still, something I need to work on.  Typically I ride with a camelback when hitting singletrack... but for a race (and such a short one at that) I'd rather go with less weight.

So I completed the race course (plus some as I missed the last turn and headed down a fire road for a bit before turning back around) and took a break as I talked to one of the guys who built up the course.  He took off and I decided I should hit the course again.  Riding for the second time was certainly much smoother.  Being able to anticipate hills really helped.  On the first lap there was a killer steep toward the end that comes at you from around a corner that I had to hike.  Knowing it was coming the second time I kept my speed as much as I could and dropped the gears and was able to get up and over it.  That felt great!!  But we'll see how that goes with others on the course (didn't seem to be much room for two on that climb).  And riding alone on my own pace (which actually ended up being pretty decent) was nice for the confidence.  I didn't break any speed records, but I felt solid at the pace I rode around the second time - and with opportunities to turn it up on the fire roads (and not to mention even more comfort on the sinlgetrack and declines) I'm pretty content coming into the race.  Oh yeah - and that spot I couldn't get the bottle back in the cage on the first lap - deja vu on lap 2.  Seriously, I have to practice that!!

So last night I was feeling all light headed/dizzy and Annie wasn't feeling too hot either.  Woke up and neither of us made it to work today.  Great start...

It had to happen sometime

What a great weekend!!
Weather wise things bounced back from the cruel joke that was played on us on April Fool's.  The sun came out and temps jumped up.  It also happened to be my birthday on Saturday.  And UCONN beat Kentucky to advance to the National Championship.

Saturday Annie and I went for a ride at Wompatuck.  It was a great ride.  We got some nice miles in and took some pictures.  I'll leave the details of this ride to Annie.

When we returned from our ride I discovered that a preride for Winding Trails had been scheduled for Sunday morning.  Oh decisions...  UCONN was playing, Annie made ribs and green beans for my birthday dinner, and there were beers to be enjoyed.  Google maps listed the course at just above 2 hours away... I know that to be on the high side, but a 10am ride time would mean an early morning for me.  This is my first race and I want to be as prepared as I can be so I seriously considered attending.  I jumped on the forum and attempted to post a question as to whether or not another preride would be scheduled in the future.  Apparently my posts have to be approved, and apparently no one approves anything on a Saturday evening, soooo I went to bed not knowing if there would be another opportunity.  My posts never ended up showing up so I messaged the ride organizer to no avail.  In the end Annie convinced me to not go and bank on there being another opportunity.

CSI: State Forest

My ride on Saturday was... a mix of sweet singletrack, puzzling scenes, and anoyances Mother Nature likes to throw at us.  This was the second time I've ridden Willowdale, the first time was last year in early March.  Last year the doubletrack/fire roads were in horrible condition with mud/snow/ice still littering the trails, but I remember the singletrack was magnificent.  That ride was cut short as I was bombing down a short downhill and a stick jumped up and snapped a spoke or two in my rear wheel - luckily leaving my derailleur untouched.  I had to cut that ride short, but vowed to be back....

A year later, ROUND TWO!  As I started the ride I jumped right into the singletrack and things were looking good.  Even better, things were feeling good.  My legs were feeling good (could spin class already be proving to be beneficial??) and my bike was outstanding.  As I tore through the trails I was already recognizing the route from the previous year and boy how the HiFi was just tearing it up out there!!  Short rooty inclines that I remembered as being a bastard on my hardtail weren't a second thought (except for "wasn't that an annoying section last time I rode it?").  Once again the HiFi proved to be an absolute billy goat on any climb I charged.  So happy with this bike!!  Over all the ride was eh.  The first half rocked, there was some sweet singletrack blazed with blue that was an absolute blast.  But as I got to the western side of the park I was greeted by snow.  And not just patches of snow here and there but firm, hard, not even close to being gone snow.  I came across stretches of snow that were basically telling me "come back after April vacation and maybe we'll clear out by then."  It was deep, firm snow that could handle the weight of me walking through without much sinking in.  Well, you know what snow??  I will come back after April vacation because during April vacation I will be railing smooth hard packed trails down in NC.  So how do you like me now???

The other week Big Bikes mentioned the inherent dangers of ravenous coyotes.  Which led me to make mention of coyotes here.  At the time I thought his was the ramblings of a mad man, and even pitied the rag tag life coyotes live (as evidenced by my comment expressing my hopes the coyotes had a success) but maybe Thom P knows more than he lets on??
I'm not sure about you, but I've come across evidence of animal on animal hatred on trails.  It's kinda curious and I often wonder who was involved and what the outcome was... was it just a scrap?  a courting gone wrong?  a straight up "get in my belly" murder?  Well, on this ride there wasn't just fur tossed around the trail, it went off into the woods.  So, me being me, I jumped off the bike and followed.  As I neared a clearing I saw a "chunk of fur" that I could not identify.  Was it a hurt animal?  A napping killer?  I grabbed the sturdiest stick I could find (first rule of horror movies - grab a damn weapon!!) and approached.  I had found the kill zone and it appeared relatively fresh.  What I had found was a chunk of the victims hide and nearby I found the spin/hips/leg bones.  Footprints were abound in the snow and it looked like possibly a coyote(s) had taken down a deer?  - check out 7/8 for visual evidence

To follow - a pictorial guide of my ride.

And the weatherman is a...

Annie made, what turned out to be, a wise decision on Saturday.  Maybe it was optimism taking over but the warm sunny weekend I was expecting turned into a foot freezing ride on Saturday.  Annie bowed out opting for the comfort and warmth of the couch as I loaded my bike onto my car.  Already I knew it was going to be a cold one but figured by the time I got to the trail (shooting for noonish) things would be PERFECT.