Summer Time Is Here

When I walked out onto the back porch this morning to feed my dog I could hardly breathe it was so humid. The thermometer said 81. Really? At 6:00 in the morning? I love the long day light and the fact that everybody in my house is out of school but I'm ready for summer to be done. Maybe it's the constantly wet gear. Or the way my truck is starting to smell. Or the half gallon of water I have to drink every morning before I have my coffee just so I can start to re hydrate. Or, maybe it's the pictures of France from the TDF with all that crystal blue sky and cold creeks. Anyhoo, if it didn't get this hot and ugly down here there'd be more people living here than there already are. So, I'll quit whining for now. And yes, my dog lives outside, and yes, she's happy about it.

Let's see, we did a semi crew ride Saturday morning from Zone 5. It was almost a repeat of the ride we did Monday only at a little harder pace and with some different faces. Then there was the dirty 30 of ZB's Sunday morning. Uh, that was fun? I guess it was really. It was a 2 minute lap of two track that we rode for 30 minutes plus 2 laps. It seemed like we rode for an hour. Round and round like a hamster in a cage. It was hard but when I finally stopped I realized I had kinda enjoyed it. I'm sure I won the over 50 class since I was the only old guy left riding at the end (there were no classes). I got lapped at least once. B made the mistake of listening to BW and HWB and blew up about midway through, but even he said he had a good time. We rolled some easy single track after the "race" and then headed to Los Amigos for tacos. Ahhh, there's nothing like XX's beer and tacos at 11:00 on a Sunday morning. We giggled like school boys. Good times!

Munson Monday was weird. We had a big group that got broken up pretty quick. B and I were on the single speeds and were only up for a mellow ride. Somehow we managed to get sucked into the lead group and went out on Twilight. Another hard ride, but I didn't have as much fun on this one. I'm starting to see a pattern with regards to how much enjoyment I get out of certain rides. Interesting.

This weekend is the last GSC race of the year. It's been fun and I hope B and I get to do it again next year. This series has the best trails (in my opinion). Not having a race to prep for will be different but we have the Fools Gold in August then the Florida series starts in September in Tallahassee. My first race in the sport class; I can't wait. I'll send in a race recap on the GSC in Helen when we get back. I know, you just can't wait.

I'm starting to get the urge for a new XC race bike. Who am I kidding, I always have the urge for a new bike. Maybe sometime in September? The shopping and the dreaming is almost as much fun as the buying isn't it? I'm hung between big wheels and regular ones. Suspension is a must due to my advanced age. I like the way my 29" SS sits but something 25 lbs. or less with 26" wheels might be the best bet. Or it might not. Oh well, I've got plenty of time to decide.

July

Lots of riding over the July 4th weekend. We started with a San Felasco trip on Saturday morning. BW, BJS, B, and I loaded up in BJS's truck and after a stop for bagels and coffee hit the early morning road to Alachua. We got to the trail head around 9:30 but due to some other type of head BJS and BW had to hit we got on the trail closer to 10:00. Man the way those two have got to time their toiletries you'd think they were older than me.


San Fan is nothing but fun single track. You don't have to do loops of the same thing over and over to get a decent amount of mileage. I recorded 5700 feet of climbing and 26 miles by the time we got back to the truck. Nobody wanted any more, we had had enough. The pace was steady and we didn't stop very often. It's was so hot and humid that stopping was torture anyway.


After the required stop at the Conestoga Restaurant we pointed it towards home and B and I were back in Havana by 4:00. I got cleaned up, opened a PBR, and hit the couch to watch the TDF. Air conditioning is a wonderful thing isn't it?


"Well, no good times go unpunished" I thought as I did the yard work in 97 degree heat Sunday afternoon. We did get away later in the day for an easy ride at FM. T is really enjoying her new ride. It's amazing how big a difference 7 lbs. makes in her ability to ride and enjoy the bike. Oh that's a 7 lbs. lighter bike by the way. I would never make the mistake of discussing my wife's weight.


I had planned a long forest road slog for Monday morning but when I didn't get any interest for any company I pulled the plug. I wasn't too pumped to do it alone again. I rode this route last year on the 4th of July solo and while an adventure, it just isn't as much fun doing long distances by myself. Fortunately a Zone 5 crew ride came together at the last minute Sunday night so B and I met the gang at 8:30 (which must be early for them) and did a calm pace for 26 miles on the north side trails. Then I took the fam to see the new Transformers movie that afternoon, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Not a lot of miles when you add it up but I was tired after every ride. The heat makes it seem like we rode twice as far as we did. We're into dog days now so when it doesn't rain in the afternoon I feel like I should be on the bike. Maybe I shouldn't say "should be"; that should read "want to be".

As a side note my main competition in the GSC went to the make up race in South Carolina a couple of weeks ago and managed to get 2nd. That was taking a chance since that was a SERC race and a long way away. But it paid off for him as he now has a 2 point lead over me. I now have to not only beat him but hope somebody finishes between us. Anyhoo all I can do is pedal and hope for the best. I could whine about it, I could point out that I beat him heads up every time we raced. I could complain about the 5 points he got in a time trial that he didn't even ride. Never mind that this is my last chance at a year end award before I move up to sport. At my age I'm not sure how much "better" I can get. Crap, this may be my last opportunity at glory now that I think about it. But after all it's just two old men racing bicycles in the base class isn't it?

Georgia Fools Prep Ride

It was just the right distance, I only got turned around twice, it wasn't unbearably hot, and the company was entertaining. It wasn't even muddy! The Fools Gold Prep ride last Saturday went pretty well if I do say so myself. I'm sorry more folks couldn't make it but I understand. The route and terrain were an unknown plus I didn't give much notice. I'm not very fluid on the social networking sites and took my Faccy Book invite system instructions over the phone. So I might have left a few people out that I meant to invite; sorry.

Anyhoo Big Worm and the always amazing BJS honored me with their presence. We met at the Subway in beautiful downtown Havana at 8:00 am and proceeded to my super secret hunting lease (no, I don't hunt anymore) which is just North of town. I was excited about the route I had mapped out on Google Earth and was eager to share it with somebody. I figured we could get 40 miles out of it and only use about 12 miles of pavement. Some of the route was used in the Tour of Amsterdam but most of it had never been ridden before. We rolled out of the parking spot onto mowed rolling two track roads and made a loop of the lease. There are some pretty good hills on the lease and I had my heart rate up before having to bushwhack a little to get to the first paved section.

A nice country lane, .5 miles of US 27, another winding black top, and back into the woods at the Georgia state line. At the first gate I offered to unlock it but BW just chucked his bike over and started climbing, BJS followed suit while I went around. This little show was repeated every time we came to a gate or a tree down across the trail. It was almost a little competition to see who could get around or over the quickest without getting off the bike. Naturally I lost every time and had to ride hard just to catch up.

A climb across a blown out culvert (yes they played the little game) and a steady up hill grade took us across the tract known as Booger Bay. We then picked up a county graded road, turned onto some more two track which ran next to one of the many ponds on the property. Out onto old 27, a short sprint on new 27, and back in the woods.

At mile 19 we stopped for a snack next to a corn field which other than the above mentioned gates was the first time we had stopped. After a twisty fire line trail we came out on a two tract road at mile 23 and we had a decision to make. Should we take the North loop which was another 6 miles, or head toward the cabin and water. BW only had 1/4 bottle left so we headed for the cabin which we hit right at 25 miles. Exactly as I had planned.

I was having a great ride. It's not the kind of trail that makes you go weeeeeeee around every corner but it's still a good ride. I like to see something different every now and then, plus I'm beginning to like to do longer rides. But I don't like riding around in circles doing laps of the same trail.

After watering up we turned it South, made it back to the trucks, and with a little lap around the lake ended up with 40 miles. Again, just as I had planned.

BJS won the yellow sign game, BW came in second and yes, I was shut out. Such is the awesome talent of the people I ride with. I went home, took a shower, gathered up the fam, and headed to Tallahassee. At the shop it was like coming into the little bar where everybody knows your name. It was almost standing room only and the B. S. was deep. My beautifull bride has wanted a new bike for a while and she's shopped it to death so we finally pulled the trigger, she's happy. I finally got some tacos from Tijuana Flats which, except for the Cliff bar at lunch, was the only thing I had eaten since breakfast.

What a great day! I knew my Sunday was going to be rough so it was good to have such a day. They don't always work out like that. But it was just as I had planned.

Living In the Moment

The 50+ base class does the wave on the podium at Flat Rock XC race.

I was listening to the podcast from the Tour Divide the other night. Sitting in my comfy study, sipping on an adult beverage, and thanking God I wasn't on top of a mountain in Colorado sleeping in a snowstorm when one of the riders said something that made me think. He was cold, tired, hungry, and missed his family but he was reminding himself to "live in the moment". It was so beautiful where he was he said that it made the suffering easier to take. He wasn't thinking about his house payments, job, or any one of the thousand things we all think about every day. His future was just getting through the moment. Which was bringing him a certain joy. Many religions teach this very principle as a pathway to inner peace (hang with me here I'm not going in too deep on this), the art is remembering to "live in the moment". I've found that racing does this for me better than anything else. I don't think about all the superfluous debris that usually seems to clutter my mind when I line up on race day. I don't think about how old I am, retirement, or what I need to do at work Monday. It usually starts falling back on my shoulders after we get home on Sunday night and then I realize that I hadn't thought about that all day long. Gosh if we could just teach ourselves to enjoy the time we're in RIGHT NOW instead of waiting until some time in the future wouldn't life be much more pleasant?

Now that I got the Kumba ya crap out of the way I'll get down to telling about the XC race in Columbus Ga. last weekend. It was hot and muggy but that's not really a surprise is it? The trail was weird, it's located in the suburbs of Columbus Ga. and it looks like it's an older park. The open sections were just a ribbon of trail through mowed grass, but when it hit the woods it got tight with rocks in a few spots. At about half way there was a nice section that had some flow to it but all in all not my favorite trail.

At the start I had trouble clipping in and got out in third, passed first and second before we got into the first section of single track, and tried to check out. My arch nemesis Robert was right on my wheel though, maybe he read last weeks blog and had figured out my strategy but anyway I couldn't shake him before we got to the "Rock Garden". The entry to this section had a sharp, off camber, rocky, rooty, downhill. It was there that I caught a rider at the tail end of the 15-18 class. I had been awake the night before worrying about this very turn and now here I was. I went wide while the kid went inside. I was trying not to follow him in case he did what he did but it was too narrow. "I knew it!" I said as he went down, taking my front wheel with him. Robert just unclipped and rolled around the outside. He hollered "don't worry you'll catch me" and I picked up my bike and began to run down the trail. Such is life in the base class.

I kept Robert in sight and managed to catch his wheel in the open section. I was really doing all I wanted to do but I figured I'd try and break him while it was open. I went around but every time I looked back he was still there! The bile started to build in the back of my throat and it felt like I needed to burp. I was breathing so hard though I was afraid if I burped I might puke and that would be bad. As we came out of the last tight single track before the feed zone I looked back expecting him to be there. He was nowhere in sight. I kept the pedal down until I hit the flowy section. I could see a ways behind me through the trees and never caught a glimpse of him. Turns out he had burped the air out of his rear tire twice and was just trying to keep 3rd place behind him. He did and I only gained 1 point on him. I now have to beat him at Helen on July 14 to secure 1st in our class. Is there anyway to improve in just a month?

As far as the rest of the Tallahassee group goes DannyK got a first in his class, Blake got a 5th in his, Paige took 2nd after leading the first lap (sorry about the picture Paige but it was too good to pass on), Parker got a 2nd, and we all had a good time. The sponsoring shop gave out money for prizes this time which was nice but I'd still rather get a bag full of goodies. It's kind of like Christmas when you peek in the bag.

We did the Higher Ground ride last night on the single speeds and I'm planning a long ride for this Saturday if I can get some interest. I'm ready for something different.

Oh Yea, That's What I'm Talkin About!

I know it's a little hard to read, I can get you a better copy if you're interested, I've got quite a few of them. It's funny, I raced moto for years, won state championships in my classes, and never even got a mention in any mainstream media. But win a couple of bike races and I get this in the Tallahassee Democrat. Of course, instead of heartfelt congratulations all I get from my crew is "why did they write about you?". Do they really have to ask? Apparently a 55 year old man racing bicycles is news?

I am now aware of how few people actually read newspapers anymore. Only one cyclist (thanks Jim) called to rib me about it. However my neighbor yelled "congratulations!", a couple walking in my neighborhood asked for an autograph, and when B took up collection in church Sunday one of the members stuck a copy of the article in the collection plate for him to give to me. I just hope "my nemesis" Robert Ham, doesn't read this, I don't want to give him any excuses to get stronger. I'm was just kidding Robert! And yea the picture sucks.

The TMBA (Tallahassee Mountain Bike Association) had their summer social this past Sunday and I found another beer that I like, PBR! Thanks to Todd from Higher Ground for providing me 3 cold ones.

We gathered at the BMX tract and rode for a little while then sat down to enjoy burgers and dogs. It looked like about 40 people enjoyed the summer evening. Terry was a hoot in the bull ring, they should pay him just to show up. The ride back to the truck with a little buzz was a good way to end the weekend.

B and I are racing the Columbus round of the GSC this weekend. It's going to be 99 degrees so I expect some riders in my class to have a few problems with the heat. Old guys and hot weather don't go together. I feel like I am fairly acclimated to it. I really shouldn't have said anything, watch, it'll be me that falls out. I have a race strategy in mind but I'm open to adjustments after we take a look at the trail on Saturday. I'm starting to get kinda nervous after all this publicity.

At the social there was a lot of talk about the Fool's Gold race this August in Dahlonega Ga. Sounds like they'll be a big group going if everybody who's talking about it actually goes. It's on my list but I'm going to wait until the week before to enter. I've seen the pictures from last years event after it flooded and I want no part of that.

I'll have another thrilling race report next week.

Thanks for the "diva" tag Benny. I know you read this.

The Rules

Since I'm relatively new to cycling I've had to learn the basic etiquette of riding with a group. Mind you every group has a different set of rules so the learning curve has been steep for me. Mountain Biking, I assume, has less rules than road riding but that's not to say it isn't without some guidelines.
Since I'm so easy to get along with and constantly worry about offending my fellow riders I have kept mental notes of the times I have made certain transgressions while riding on different rides. I can think of 10 of them that I've learned in just the past 2 weeks in no particular order. This is for fun so please don't take any of this personal. I'm just KIDDING! Gosh some of you are sooooooo sensitive.

1. I don't get to say where we go or how fast we go.

2. If I'm more than 2 minuets late to the trail head I'll get left. Unless someone who is a long standing member of the group is also late then they wait till he gets there.

3. If the rider in front of you drops their water bottle, stop and pick it up for them. Even if they have been hammering your ass for the last 5 miles. It's not polite to holler at them and then ride by as they turn around (they will give you a dirty look as they go past).

4. Don't correct inconsiderate riders who cut the trail, then pull out in front of slower riders. They will just ignore you and keep on being rude.

5. Some rides have post ride beers, some do not. Some rides are more about the post ride than the ride. That's not a problem I just like to know before I go so I remember to bring some beer.

6. Some people like to talk while they ride, others don't. It's getting easier for me to tell them apart.

7. For a few folks it's a race from the time you leave the trail head and I don't mean just riding hard.

8. Some people will jump out in front of you on a group ride after every rest stop, even though you have to pass them almost immediately when you get going again.

9. You should not ask the riders in front of you on the line in a race if they'll let you squeeze in. I did once and got chastised for it.

10. 98% of the people who ride mountain bikes are the nicest folks I've ever met.

You'd think that since I'm a little older than most of the people I ride with that they'd cut me some slack. Not a chance. In fact, even after learning all of the above, I still seem to be the brunt of more than a few long running jokes. Riders I don't even know very well picked at me just last weekend about my inability to clear certain sections of trail and this "traitor" theme has gotten a life of it's own.

Anyhoo we rode TB Saturday on the SS's, then FM on Sunday with the Green Bean crew, I did Munson Monday again on the SS, and tonight is the Higher Ground ride. I'll hit the gym tomorrow to work on my already awesome upper body. Then we plan to do a little technical riding Thursday which should have a horrible effect on my self esteem. I know it's a tough life but hey what can ya do?

Dauset

In all my years of racing I've never won a bottle of champagne. I haven't tried this yet to see how it tastes but I don't imagine it's very good. But that's not the point is it? This past weekend was the South Eastern Regional Championship (SERC) race in Dauset Ga. And yes I won the slow old man class. The trail was rockier than the other two rounds I'd ridden, more technical, and not quite as fun.

It was hot. 96 degrees when we finished at 10:30. So hot that 3rd place didn't even show up for the podium deal. The only guy who doesn't look like he shouldn't be in a nursing home is the guy in second.

B got a poor start and finished 7th out of 15 in his class. They started behind us this time and the top 3 caught me before the finish, fast class.

Speaking of the start, it was narrow, on pavement, down hill at first, and then onto fresh gravel. I knew I wanted to get on the front line with 14 in our class. It was then I may have made a cycling faux pas. I politely asked the two guys who had just jumped in front of me if they were racing the series, to which they responded they were not. "If not", I said"would you mind letting me in front with you since he(here I point to the guy next to them, Rob, who's first in the series ahead of me) and I are racing for points". I didn't mean for the whole line to hear this and it must have sounded like I thought I was special (which of course I am but they didn't know it, yet) because one of their friends at the other end of the row said something along the lines of "yea, you two go out hard, I like seeing guys like you blow up as I go by". Turns out at least 5 of the guys in the front row were locals, only riding this one race, and didn't take kindly to me asking for a little courtesy.
One of them did move over for which I thanked him profusely. The whistle blew and we were off. I hit the woods third behind, you guessed it, two of the locals. As soon as we got onto the single track they sat up. What the hell? I tried a couple of times to get around but it was tight so I just fell in behind them. At least I wasn't burning much energy. I suddenly remembered a place to pass I had scouted out in practice the day before just after a bridge that was coming up. As soon as we crossed the bridge I stood on the pedals, only to be pushed off the edge of the trail into a rut, then into a tree, then the dog pile started. After taking a handle bar in the side and piling up every body behind me (bet they were glad they let me in front now huh?) I managed to get going in 6th. I could see the points draining away as Rob was now 2 places in front of me.

With the adrenaline pumping I passed the two in front of me at the same time using an old moto move. I was right behind Rob and he was on 3rd's wheel. Then I got lucky as Rob clipped a tree, went "oofhhhh", and rolled off the trail. I hollerd "you ok?" but didn't take the time to stop. He got back in right behind me. He and I had talked about the first little rock climb earlier. We had both cleared it and had even discussed which lines we were going to use. It was coming up. I had about had it with blue shirt and creaky seat in front of me. Every time I made a move they moved over. When we got to the rocks they both stood up, one went in one line, one took the other, and they stopped. I could hear Rob behind me "@#%& guys!". We all piled up again.

Now during the previous week Wrecking Ball had showed me how to do a cycle cross dismount and remount. So I grabbed my bike, ran to the top of the hill (really more like a mound), elbowed 2nd place out of the way, jumped on my bike just like WB had showed me, but couldn't find the pedals. 2nd pushed back by me. I was pissed. The first opening creaky seat (2nd place) gave me I went inside, hit the brakes, and did a SteveA* on him. 1st must have heard the commotion behind him and didn't put up much of a fight.

I managed to put a little gap on Rob who had followed me around blue shirt and creaky seat. The rest of the race was fairly uneventful except for some guy in one of the classes in front of me who must not speak English since I must have asked him 5 times for a little room. I had to SteveA him also.

That's blue shirt checking out a kid in B's class before the start.

The only other excitment was close to the finish as a red and white jersey was all of the sudden catching me. Rob's jersey! When the rider got behind me I started to ride a little wide thinking if he wasn't in my class he'd ask to pass, but he never said a word. When we got into the clearing before the finish I could hear Rob's friends yelling "go,go!". I came out of the seat and made it through the scoring chute in front of him. Turns out it was Rob's son (next to B in the picture above) and they both wear the same jersey.

I worked for this one. Was it fun? In a way. I don't look forward to the sport class which did 2 laps in that heat. I hope the locals forgive me but it's a RACE! Oh, and I never saw the guy who said he was going to pass me after I blew up. See, told ya I'm special.

I am fixing to go into the kitchen and get that bottle of champagne out of the fridge and try a little bit, maybe more than a little if it's any good.

*The SteveA is a take out move where you take the inside line away from the guy in front of you, hit the brakes, almost take his front wheel out, then laugh about it so they can hear you.