in the mood to 'get away.'
like I don't do that all the
time anyway, but without
the bike, just me and the
flowing water, taking a
couple hours to explore
the ground that passes
under wheels in 10minutes.
even caught some fish!
of course, no picture of
the only keeper of the day.
Brook trout make me smile
you know you're in the right place
when you think about actually 'racing'
at Breck vs jra getting thru it.
Altitude? yeah it's a bummer, but pretty
much everybody will be in the same boat,
unless you've been hi mtn chillin' like JB,
or a hardcore local out to defend the turf...
And based on how the ridin's been goin',
I'm ready to fucking rip some cranks off!
still on a Stoopid buzz, rolling the fix
home @ only 20 couple minutes off the
Pfluganator, who just threw down a 5th
overall at Lumberjack. Yeah, the pump
is primed. Dropped a couple pounds,
turned up the intensity while backing
off the volume, and now I'm resting
and chomping at the bit.
Today the required gear list came out,
thought I had it dialed. Figured on bottles
on the bike (34+25ozer's), gel flasks in a
pocket. Stem bag to hold a tool, patch box
of bits, #2 tube. Loaner swanky rain jacket
stuffed in a pocket, camera in the other pocket.
No pods allowed.
No pack needed.
But now I see an emergency blanket and
first aid kit in the mix. Hmmm, that's a
camera's worth of space, or I go back to
riding with a pack...ride it, or race it?
Run the Ergon fully loaded and ride it like
a fast tour, or race it and maximize the
support???
Could drop the #2 tube, or strap it to
the stem! make room for silver blanky
and band aids in the box, keep the weight
off my back. cuz every time you stand to
pedal, you're lifting it over and over and
over....and I ain't 'racing' w/out my camera....
glad I got few days of shakedown once there
to figure it out. Looks like I'm hitting Evergreen
w/ FuriousGeorge and then solo explorin' a
bit of the CT on Saturday.
Good times coming!
crunch time.
what's done is done.
it's all in the books now,
clock is punched.
loose ends, making lists.
collecting boxes, fill
'em w/ the 'essentials'
feet up as much as possible,
still turn the pedals a bit to
hone the edge here and there.
surfing, wondering what's
in store. small world
nowadays thru these tubez.
wanna know what's out there?
wonder what the terrain is like?
go here: Ergon pimpin' Jeff
or here: uber Green babe Sonya
or here: Little e, more my style.
then hyperventilate for full effect.
this is the short version,
long version was practice.
neutral leadout goes beepbeep! Go! sorta,
do take a hard tempo flyer, then latch back
and tempo once more. follow super smooth
locals Matt & Billy across Tussey, caught by
ElkBuckPete on the descent. Crush Thickhead
in a hurtful focused manner, get a gap when
you can.
Flow across Indian with Buck then keep the
tempo rolling on the approach to Beeyootiful
and it grows quiet behind, hmmmmm. neck
gets sore from all of the over the shoulder
glances. Just keep pedaling, all day long.
Beautiful trail was dialed fixy sweetness,
then steady gunning in the woods, walking
the cramp zone tightrope thru the fireroad
transiitons and get into a good back n forth
with Chip on the way to Aid2.
Had a quiet goal of a top five on the fix.
Unknowingly, I was battling for it, didn't
think we were that far up.. Crush Thickhead
again, slum down Detweiler, get caught. Chase
Chip the carrot and hit it one final time up
Gettis, get out of sight, way out of sight.
Couldn't stretch it far enough though, caught
at the bottom of Bear Meadows. Reality of
Laurel Run settled in, Chip got dibs & I was
glad to be done, happy to get down it clean.
Cross the finish line, come down off the edge,
queasiness no longer containable and empty my
stomach once back at the car, neat.
6th single, 17th overall, 4:45/50ish for fifty.
Breck? I ain't skeerd,
the work is all but done.
Breath deep.
yeah, wow.
what a wknd, what
a way to get Stoopid.
I like getting Stoopid.
Always a good time,
Incredible wknd, thanks
to everybody that makes
it possible, ya'll rock.
hit it qwik snap w/ Old Man Withers,
timed the lull between storms perfectly.
still feeling out the El Marifixi, might
drop the bars just a smidge yet, front
end feels bouncy, like it could use a bit
more weight on it...
the 18 makes you earn it, really diggin'
it on the flats and it's a nice tempo on
the extended ups, excellent conversational
pace rolling with coasty types. Breck,
I'll have the 19 along, depending on
what shakedown spin analysis reveals.
Purist in me says you finish with what
you start, I really want to keep downhill
slummin' to a min...could be a lot of hikin'.
and I'm ok with that.
one of the wondertwins is gettin' in
my head, damn you Dave! so the next
week and half will be obsessing hell, then
there's nothing more that can be done,
cuz at that point, what's done is done
and you can't do nothing about it,
except deal, and keep on pedaling.
always keep pedaling.
always, that's where the secrets lie.
