Wingheaven

Road racing for me is about as easy as nailing Jell-O to a wall. So going into Wingheaven with suspect form, temps in the 90’s, a combined 2-3 field, and what was sure to be stiff competition, I was a bit worried. I was committed to going though, almost as much to see some of my teammates and watch the Pro race as anything, and loaded up the Mazda for a trip to STL.

Warm up went well, and I lined up in the middle of 90+ hungry riders. The first two laps were agonizing. I wasn’t have much trouble hanging on to the pack, but again it felt like I was riding with one lung. By the middle of the race, I started to come around and feel like racing. For me the funniest part of the day happened right out of the gate, when I look to my right to find Happy Jose B wobbling beside me pedaling squares and knocking about. How does this guy always find me in a pack???

With one to go I had some gas left but the pack was big, and slowing, so the probability of a pileup in the downhill left was high. I opted to call it a day, realizing my strengths in the sprint, and the need to be free of broken bones going into July, and coasted in at the back of the group.

4 Weeks...

...and I'll be riding the schweet serpentine grander that is Southern France. This will be my first International Cycling trip, and first ever 2 week vacation. To say I'm excited, is an understatement. I'm already packing, and I mutter around the house till the wee hours not knowing wether to scratch my watch or wind my butt. I've got to pack 2+ weeks worth of gear into one 50 lb bag. This should be easy, but in the past DoubleD and I have filled the Mazda 3 to the brim for just a 5 day trip.

Rolled out for pretty mellow 3 hour stint through Northern BOCOMO today with like minded two wheelers. Although it looked like rain, we stayed dry. What never fails to amaze me, is the complete lack of silence a BOCOMO group ride has. Never a dull moment on the rolling sitcom that is a early morning CycleX ride.

A couple sandwiches short of a picnic...

Even when you have a bad day, MTB racing is still more fun than a clown on fire. Walking into the 10th annual Rett's Run Race this weekend I knew my form was going to be off a bit, but by how much. If you've been racing long enough, you can almost tell from the first pedal stroke of the day, how things are going to shake down, and today I could tell, my form was lower than a ducks butt.

My race went well enough considering my prep, so I cant complain. I got out to a good start only to find my heart rate pegged to pre-pubescent levels, my head spinning, and my bike handling suffering big time. The course was slicker than snot on a doorknob. Ploch was witness to a nice two wheel drift into a tall oak that I was lucky to pull off, that had me contemplating my predicament. I really wanted to rock the house on my home court, and at least stay ahead of BH (who was on my borrowed bike) but continuing at the present pace would probably result in me on a stretcher. So I dialed it back, and then some more, and then yet even more, until I could see straight out of my newly LASIK'd eyes. At one point I thought, "I'm going so slow, I'm going to have to speed up to stop!"

The rest was somewhat uneventful. I saw BH on the ground once. Caught a glimpse of DoubleD in my rearview (this sparked my motivation, as I couldn't have my older and wiser cousin make up the stager on me, oh the humility) Some dude tried to take down Wes B in one of the craziest passes I've ever seen on an MTB. And I almost ran over a lapper on number 4.

So even though my picnic came up short, it was still a blast.

Shout out to Evenslower's kids who took the prize for the cutest pit crew. And Doug Stone, who's making the transition from throttle twister, to mountain bike slayer quite nicely.

Back in the Saddle Again

Dr. J, Heavy D, Evenslower, Green Beans, myself, and a guy who borrowed my old Epic who shall remain nameless as he is secretly training for a special coming out party, met up at Binder for my first ride back on fat tires in 3 weeks. In fact I just started getting some TITS on Wed of this week with a short 90 min recovery ride. The day was spectacular with dry trails (a rareity in MO this year), good company, and of course the Pivot. Dr J got us all on film. Heavy D poached some trail and got lost again (good thing he has a Garmin). Evenslower found some more MidMO ticks. Nameless dude looked fast, yet twitchy, for a guy who's been off the fat tires for a bit. Beans impressed my SF buds with his ever smooth flow. And I couldnt wipe the smile from my face as it was the first pain free ride in 6 months!

Retts Run this weekend. Get your game on!

Perpetuating the Myth

I’ve been to AR three times this spring. Rather than arrive with some preconceived notions about the indigenous people, I made a point of keeping an open mind about the local “wildlife” if you will. Let just say the stereotypical views of Arkansas’eans hold true. In a list form, things I witnessed during my travels:

· 3 County and 1 State Police at a campground because of a domestic violence “issue”
· 13 canoes full of Amish teenagers in full dress, headgear, and long pants
· Grandma and Grandpa on dulling golf carts drinking Bush Light
· 3 tooth hillbilly hitting on my wife and sister by offering them strawberry moonshine
· A sign entering the camp requesting I break down or unload all firearms before entering
· Dry county-nuff said
· A mobile home that had been converted to an RV – no joke

: (

Nagging injuries suck. In 20+ years of riding I’ve never had much of anything to complain about, as my discomfort on the bike was in direct relationship to my fitness, not some anatomical problem. Somewhere along the road this winter that all changed. It started with some tendinitis in the upper calf, moved to the Medial Patellar Femoral Ligament, and is finishing with some IT Band tightness, etc. After a slew of adjustments to my setup and riding/sleeping through pain constantly, and the strickt recommendation from my therapist (wife), I’m taking a couple weeks off to get things healed up.

I’m 7 days into what plans to be 2 weeks off. Its amazing how everyday life issues seem to pile up and ruin your day when you have no avenue for release. My wife is sick of me, my coworkers wanna know what’s up, and even my dog looks at me funny.

I still haven’t gotten what I consider a decent ride on my new rocket ship MTB, and the local trails look like this.

Oh well, at least I have a new keg of Fowler Creek Red to keep me company as I sulk in the basement.

Syllamo Here We Come

Dr J, Dasiy and I are off tomorrow for some North Central AR trail thrashing. 50 miles of single track bliss. I'm super stoked to be rocking the new Pivot (yes BH there will be some loving going on pre-race) but at the same time apprehensive of taking an untested bike into a 5 hour event.

Luck will be needed.