Bump and Whine

Bump and Grind mountain bike race at Oak Mountain State Park near Birmingham Al.  This past weekend.  It was, well, different.

Normally Gone Riding promotes the races in this series but they only scored this one.  The local club did everything else.  And it showed.  Let me explain.

We arrived Saturday at 1 pm.  Parking was weird with half the paved lot roped off for no apparent reason.  We set up in a soggy ditch across the road and set out to find sign up.  We being The Lovely Wife, The Kid, and myself.

At sign up I was informed I needed to choose between Cat 2 or Cat 3 for the race.  Now for the series I am in Cat 3, which was only running 9 miles, as opposed to Cat 2 which was going the whole 21 miles.  No laps, just one big loop.  Hmmmmm.  The forecast called for strong thunderstorms that night and on into the next day.  So I could take a chance and ride the 21 miles or play it safe for the points and go 9.  Again, weird.  They told me I had till in the morning to decide.

Practice Lap

"Where do we pick up the 21 mile loop?" I asked.

"Well you go down here to Froggy Back and climb up Mr. Toad, then take a left on Pretty Pony" the guy from BUMP told me.

"Huh?"

So we rode up a road for a mile, figured that wasn't right, went back to ask again, got the same BS, found a rider who showed us what he thought was the trail, and promptly ran into BL and EP coming back from being lost.

I finally found the 9 mile loop while The Kid went to ride the whole 21.  I decided to just do the 9, which turned out to be a smart move.

Race Day

Muggy, cloudy, with rain in the area, but not raining when we got to the race.  My class started with the 50+ at 9:00.  It was actually sunny and the conditions were perfect.  I started out in front but got passed on the 1 mile road climb.  With both the guys in my class way off the back I politely let the 5 50+ guys go into the single track ahead of me.  I really don't know what I was thinking as they were scoring us separate.  Needless to say the last 3 were slower than me, so it took some time to get around them.  My bad.  I finished right behind second place in 50+, BL caught and passed me, sigh.

I won the 60+, my competition for SERC didn't show up so it worked like it was supposed to.  The Kid lined up for his race with 17 others.  As soon as the whistle blew it started to rain and it rained for 2 hours.

Bump didn't call for podiums, at least not that BL and I heard, so we missed them.  They gave us our medals and a gift card, but still, it was not well organized.

The Kid had a great race for second.  I was sooooo glad I had run the morning race.  Since THE CRASH I'm intimidated by slick trail.

All in all not a bad weekend.  The Kid was pumped with his performance, especially under those conditions.  They finally did his podium at 3:15 and we hit the road, getting home around 9:30.  I am once again thankful to be able to do these races.  We go again this coming weekend.  I am smiling.

Is It Possible?

That I'm being selfish?  Me?  Naaaaw, not possible.  For example; everyone (almost) took off for the beach or the mountains last weekend.  What did I do?  Rode my bike.  Oh, and worked in the yard.

Co workers ask, "did you do anything special this weekend?"  I did take the Lovely Wife out to eat Saturday night.  That has to count.

We traveled the weekend before last (bike race), and will travel the next two weekends (you guessed it, bike races).

Some More Stuff About Me

Four years ago in 2013 I ran the 50+ sport class in the GSC.  Getting 4th place and missing out on a year end podium by 3 points.  For some unknown reason in 2014 I promoted myself to 50+ expert for the next season, ran the first race in the rain, dropped out, and haven't done a series till this year.  That was the year The kid was a senior in high school so I decided to just ride with all the stuff he had going on.  In 2015 I rode the Tallahassee FSC race in the 50+expert and got almost dead last.  And of course while training for the CX season I had THE CRASH.  2016 was spent trying to put myself back together.

Speaking of back together, I find myself losing muscle mass rather quickly this past year.  My weight isn't up, my waistline is a little smaller, but I have more flab.  I can lift the same or more weight at the gym so strength isn't declining (much).  I just need to eat less, or drink less beer.  Well, let's not get too crazy.

Anyhoo, here we are.  I'm thinking maybe I should have run sport this year to get in better shape for Nationals in July.  But that's all in the past.  I really did think the competition would be tougher than it has been.  It's a little weird a base rider doing Nats.  Aw hell, no one cares.

Upcoming

Bump and Grind is this weekend.  Big race, an A race for me.  Nervous?  Why yes I am.  Do I expect to win?  Yes I do.  At least the SERC class.

Next weekend is the GSC/SERC north of Atlanta.  New trail.  I am much excited about this one.

Then it's on to Helen Ga. and the grand finale.  Short track on Saturday and XC on Sunday.  Big climbs, big weekend.  Followed by Nationals in West Virginia two weeks later.

I have done the prescribed work, maybe had too many beers, maybe eaten a little too much, but I've put in the work.  We'll see.

The Day After

Since I have no one here to tell race stories to you'll just have to do.

The day after a race weekend is usually kind of a let down.  It's hard to concentrate on work after being immersed in bike racing all weekend.  On the long drive home from Chattanooga Tn. last night I was dreading another drive to the next race.  Now I find myself looking forward to.  Sick.

SERC #5?

I think it's race 5, anyhoo.  Nature Park Trails in Chattanooga Tn., right next to the 200 acre Volkswagen plant.  A system of machine built goodness through hilly hardwood forest.  Trail was a rock base built along the contours.  Plenty of flow, no crazy obstacles.

The Lovely Wife, The Kid, and I started the 6 hour drive Saturday morning.  The forecast was for a 100% chance of rain Sunday.  I'll admit I had severe reservations about riding a trail I'd never seen, in the mountains, in a driving rain.  After the BIG CRASH I'm a big wimp when it comes to riding slick stuff.  But I want to do the series even though the chances of success are slim.  

We arrived at the park to sunny skies at around 3 on Saturday afternoon.  The Kid and I had decided to ride 2 laps since we might not get the chance to enjoy the course the next day.  It started with a 1 mile paved road climb then ducked onto the single track.  It was dry with small pebbles on the outside of the turns that kept things interesting.  No really long climbs except the paved road, and some screaming fast sections.  Sooo much fun.  If we were going to race in the rain this was the perfect course for it.

We have found Chili's to be our go to restaurant when on the road racing.  Yea I know it's a chain and not that "cool" but we have had good food and service at everyone we visited.  The Kid will eat the chips, and The Lovely Wife and I had steaks.  I, of course, had my obligatory pre race beer.  We retired to a very nice Holiday Inn Express and watched motocross while it stormed outside.

I refused to look at the radar the next morning.  It at least wasn't thundering.  In fact it was only sprinkling as we loaded the bikes.  We had dodged a bullet.  It didn't rain all day.  Sweet!

The Race

The Kid raced in the morning, 19-30 cat 2.  He was running with the top 3 when he cramped.  The guy that has been crushing his class set the fastest lap of anyone (including all the cat 1's), then flatted.  It was all set up for The Kid to win but it was not to be.  While he jumped around trying to get the cramp to let go an unidentified oriental man appeared out of the woods and offered to help.  He first said "no speak english" then began to help stretch the offending leg.  The Kid called him his trail spirit after finishing 5th.  Weird huh?

There were only 3 of us in the 60+ class, sad.  Let me get this out of the way, I do feel like I'm cherry picking this class.  Yes, it is a cat 3 class and yes I was a cat 1 before THE CRASH (a back of the pack cat 1).  I raced this class in the FSC and never won.  I can't help it if the competition isn't as strong in the GSC or the SERC.  Can I?

The Start

I locked out the suspension and stood on the pedals as the whistle blew.  I never saw the other guys again.  That's not to say I didn't get to race with someone, there's always the juniors that start on the row behind us.  Those kids go out like a wildfire, and cool off just as quickly.  I caught 4 of the 50+ base that start in front of us.  I was in some kind of traffic the whole 2 laps.  It slows me down because I don't want to get in the way of the juniors race and I had a big gap on my class.  In the end I won by 9 minutes.  So far I have won all the GSC and all the SERC.  The problem is Gone Riding gave a 15 point bonus just for attending the second round and I didn't go.  Dumb.  So I'm currently 6 points out of first with not much hope of getting them back, even if I win everything.  On the plus side I'm ahead in the GSC, so I've got that goin for me.

Looking Back

It was a great weekend.  I never would have gone if I hadn't been running a series.  I got to spend the weekend with my family.  I'll be sad when I got too old to do this stuff.  Next race is Bump and Grind up near Birmingham Al.  

Addiction

I freely admit it, I am addicted.  Really have been most of my life.  It started when I was 11, the urge, the almost impossible-to- resist pull of it.

I remember wanting it so bad.  My friends were into it.  When I first got on it my parents told me the things I shouldn't do, and of course, those were the things I did first.

My mom and dad financed the addiction at first, but I had to do odd jobs to get the extras.  Paint houses, clean my dad's office, mow the yard.  But the more I did the more I wanted.  Soon I was dipping ice cream at the mall to be able to afford it.  Then cleaning up wrecked semi trailers full of stuff at a salvage warehouse.  My high school friends ( not really friends but you know) were going to football games, surfing, and doing regular stuff.  Every week I lived for Friday so I could get out and feed the monkey.

My dad said "son if we'd of known how it would turn out like this we never would have gotten you started".  He always wanted me to play golf.  Golf didn't even begin to scratch the itch I had.

College and Marriage

I did manage to get out from under it for a few years.  But it was always there just under the surface.  I tried to be normal.  I took up hunting again.  But as soon as I got a little extra cash I went to my nearest dealer.  Before I knew it I was back into it again, only bigger this time.

I drove 2 hours one way just to be with others who shared my problem.  Even changed jobs to be closer to the action.  Even traveled out west with it.  It has left me unable to enjoy regular travel since then.

The Kid

After he was born I introduced him to it at a young age.  And now he's showing the tell tale signs of the disease.

And Now

So I'm 61 and still addicted.  This disease has hurt me, even put me in the hospital, but yet I go back.  I plan my week, even my year, on being able to feed it.

On the positive side, I've met most of the friends I have because of it.  I have changed the delivery system over the past 6 years but that seems to have made it even worse.

Of course I'm talking about my addiction to two wheels.

Just For Me

Quick Recap

September 2016 was the last post on this blog.  Nobody blogs anymore.  Kinda sad really.  I found I miss this.  I'll be doing this for me, don't care if anyone else is interested.  No posting on FB or anything like that.

Let's see, back in September of last year it had been one year since I exploded my hip.  The hip is finally getting to the point I can put real pressure on it weekly without limping for the next few days. This past week has been the first whole week without some form of pain.  Muscle wise the right leg is still quite a bit smaller than the left but now that I can work it harder maybe it will catch up.

I joined a new gym and finally got some good instruction on squats that has made a difference.  I still only run on the treadmill for 5 minutes during warm up but even that seems to be getting easier.  I'm using the OMTP (old man training plan) that I have used for the past 5 years for the cycling.  It may not push me as hard as other plans but it has kept me healthy if not any faster.

Speaking of faster.  I'm not.  In fact I seem to be getting slower.  The heart rate is there but the pressure on the pedals just doesn't equate to forward motion.  Sure, I'm winning the 60+ class so far but I worry I may be facing the inevitable decline of being 61.

Should I Care?

I really enjoy the races.  I am just thankful that I can do what I can do.  If the crash taught me anything it's that life is a moment to moment thing.  It's a shame you have to get old to appreciate that. 

I'll admit to being gun shy on tricky sections while riding, especially if it's wet. If you do what

I did 19 months ago you never forget it.  At least I won't.

So I'll answer my own question.  No, I should just be glad to be doing what I do.  I am very fortunate (just not very fast).

The Kid

Will be a senior at UF after this summer.  Hard to believe.  He's letting his hair grow out.  He's doing well in school.  He doesn't realize how good he has it.  Did any of us at that age?

I'd like him to enjoy the cycling for what it is.  A hobby.  Something to look forward to doing regardless of the outcome.  Easy for me to say.

Ah, I Feel Better Already

At the race in Ft. Yargo last weekend, while warming up, I came across an old cemetery back in the woods.  The contrast between that scene and the start of the races just down the hill made me pause. We should work to enjoy as much of this time as we have, after all, it's always later than we think.

It's Been A Year

Since this happened.  Why am I smiling?  If I knew what was in front of me I wouldn't have been so cheery.  I had good doctors and The Lovely Wife to take care of me.  I managed to get back on a bike two months post surgery.  Dr. S-works was good enough to putter around with me while I attempted to get my fitness and more importantly, my confidence back.  I used the LW training plans for XC 40+ to give me some guidance and some structure.  They (the doctors) told me it would take a year to get back close to normal, I didn't believe them then, I sure do now.

I don't write much here about family issues.  Suffice to say that this year has been difficult in that regard.  We all come to these things eventually.  Still doesn't make it easy.

Fast Forward

To this past weekend.  My first race since "the incident".  

I wasn't sure where my fitness was.  I was a whole year older, which at 60 makes a difference.  I just knew I wanted to race my bike again.  So I dropped down to the 60 plus class.  I took a little ribbing about going back to the base class and just doing two laps instead of three.

The Race

I attacked early and tried to build a lead.  I had been able to handle these guys in the past (this type of thinking turned out to be my downfall).  So at the end of the first lap I couldn't see anybody behind me in my class.  For some reason I thought the Frenchman had gotten out ahead of me and I was in second.

At 3/4 of the way through the last lap I was caught up in the front of the Clydesdale class.  I just thought "I'll sit up and let these guys go at it".  All of the sudden the Frenchman takes an inside line and passes me, with the Yankee right behind.  "You've got to be kidding me!" I yelled.

I never could get back passed them and ended up third.

The Yankee in first, the Frenchman in second, the Dumbass in third

Anyhoo, turns out I'm not too fast for the 60+ class.  Maybe too stupid, but certainly not too fast.  I had a good race and I'm looking forward to the next one.

The Kid had a good race

   

Finishing up 4th in a very fast class.  I'm super proud of him!

Well That Was A Nice Break

Wow, I've been off this blog for quite a while.  Many things have conspired to keep me from sitting down and typing, and while I am not very good at this, I did miss it.  You did too, right?  Awww come on, you know you like it.

My 85 year old mother was involved in a car accident a few months ago.  She enjoyed reading this and couldn't get to her computer while she was rehabbing so I just kind of lost interest.  She's doing better now (thanks for asking).

Many of us will go through this type of thing with our parents, if you haven't already.  It's a part of life, not really much you can do about it.  It certainly can be a troubling look into our future though.

Ahhhh, future looking.  We all do it.  I find that it can make me anxious, plus I have so little control over what will happen.  The old saying goes "If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans."

And looking back into the past, well that can be a pleasant thing to do, sometimes.  Too much of it can make you melancholy and a little sad.  The past is something we can't change, only how we look at it.

Which leaves us with the present.  It's all we really have.  We should try to enjoy it.

Moving On

Anyhoo, enough with the existential bullshit.  Let's talk about me.  It's been a 10.5 months since I broke my hip.  They told me at the beginning of this journey that I wouldn't be 100% until 12 months had passed.  I scoffed at that, thinking I was way beyond the mere mortals that had gone before me. Well, they were right.  I'm just now starting to build some muscle in the injured leg.  I can jog a little but running isn't happening right now.  Burpees?  That ain't happening either.  But I can ride my bike.

Riding

On the OMTP I switched from 50 mile to XC.  Fools Gold had been my scheduled first race but I wimped out and decided to just stay in town and race the Gone Riding Florida Series race at Tom Brown.  I get to race the 60+ class this year, in fact I can race any class I want (except maybe the women's).  I can't say that I'm unhappy about not getting pummeled in the 50+ expert again.

Even with all that banter (see above) about planning I need to have some kind of a carrot in front of me to keep me motivated.  Racing at 60 years old may seem silly to some of you.  I will give it up someday I suppose, I'm just not ready yet.

Bitching

Along those lines, I was browsing the MTBR forums and came across one for 50+ riders. Oh good!  I thought, the first question was about training older riders, so I was anxious to see the replies, hoping to get some information on a subject that really interests me.  

Alas, most of the responses were about why you couldn't (and shouldn't) train, injuries, and just general bitching about getting older.  I don't do that do I?  If you look back 4 paragraphs you can see that I do. 

It taught me a lesson regarding what older athletes (yes I consider myself an athlete, regardless of what you think) present to the world.

The upside to this is that all you younger riders will have a path blazed for you as far as what you can and should do at 50, 60, and beyond.  There just isn't much out there right now, and what is out there can be disheartening.

So when you ask me how I'm doing I'll just smile and say "fine".