I'm talking about my 4th run at the GSC by Gone riding. I'm out. I can't take the full blame for being a quitter (again, more on that later). The Kid has a fresh set of commitments that will require us to miss a couple of rounds, notably the final in Helen, which is required in order to complete the series. He is also out for the round in Conyers this weekend, and after my dismal performance at Macon, I just can't get interested in driving to Atlanta (again), especially by myself. This all leaves me with a strange lack of focus. I feel adrift as far as my cycling is concerned. Combine this with The Kids impending departure in a couple of months and I really could get into a funk. It's a strange place for me.
Macon Mash
Anyhoo, as far as our race in Macon went. Saturday at the TT the trail was dry, sandy, and I felt it could stand some rain. "Some" being the key word. It was a fun trail, even though my time in the TT showed me to be well off the pace of the rest of my class. Most of whom posted times in the top 10. The Kid beat me by 20 seconds, I was kinda holding back a little for the XC on Saturday. No, really, I was.Sunday dawned cloudy, windy, light rain, and temperatures in the lower 50's. The radar showed a big blob of red heading our way. Looking back this is when we should have abandoned all hope and just headed up to the mountains. But no, we were there to race, and race we did.
I wasn't prepared for the amount of rain that eventually fell. On the line he gave us the option of 3 or 4 laps, of course 4 won. Welcome to expert. The rain started really pounding at the end of the first lap. All the trail was a running creek. The creeks were small rivers. My brakes went away on lap 2 (poor preparation), my hands went numb sometime on lap 3. I quit at the end of 3. That's the first MTB race I ever quit. Do I regret it? My only regret is I lined up in the first place. I wasn't ready for 50 degrees and cold rain. I wore regular gloves and had organic pads on the bike. And yes, I knew rain was in the forecast. I got just what I deserved, an ass whoppin and $300 worth of bike repairs.
The Kid got 2nd in his first Sport class race. It was even deeper when he rode. Too bad he won't get to finish the series.
On to the Mountains
We left Macon after loading up in the continuing monsoon, and headed to Blue Ridge for a couple of days in the Smokies. Of course we got backed up on I-75 before we got to Atlanta. We finally made it around 7.
Monday it was still too wet to even hike so we went down to Ellijay to get brake pads for both the bikes (more poor preparation on my part) and let The Lovely Wife shop all the antique stores.
Tuesday we hiked a section of trail close to the cabin, drove up to Springer Mtn., and walked up the 600 steps to the top of Amicolola Falls.
Wednesday we rode the Jackrabbit trail system just north of Hiawassee Ga. A mostly beginner friendly ride set on a peninsular surrounded by Lake Chatuge. The only down side to the place was the amount of dog crap on the trail. It (the trail not the dog crap) was 95% machine built and very well marked. Definitely worth another trip.
On the way home Thursday we stopped by the Blankets Creek trail just north of Atlanta. It was another flowey system except for the South Loop which was all old school. It is also worth doing again.
The area around Blue Ridge has an abundance of outdoor things to do, all within a pleasant hours drive. I'm not recommending you go there however. I want to keep it a secret for a while.
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| Jackrabbit |
Now What?
With no series to race I wonder if I'll stick with my training plan. I have looked at other races, like the Gone Riding 100/50 miler in Ocala next month. Maybe I'll do a few endurance events. Or maybe not. I just don't know how to handle the uncertainty.
