Tour de Tykes XC...

Things to do during an "Excessive Heat Warning"

AVOID PROLONGED WORK IN THE SUN OR POORLY VENTILATED AREAS. ALSO...DRINK PLENTY OF WATER AND TRY TO STAY IN AN AIR CONDITIONED ENVIRONMENT. AVOID ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES.

Or so says the National Weather Service.....but what do they know.

So what would any good FL born boy do when it's 96 degrees and 95% humidity.....I give you Danville...aka HELL. I think Hell will be a little less humid thou....I'll let you know on that one.

After working Sat on our course for the up coming race and the two hour drive up the last thing my body wanted to do was race....not to mention climb for 3500 feet. But after getting my chops busted by a couple fellow heat lovers (Matty/Dan) over my choice of clothing (they've not bought into the idea that real men were thongs yet) we lined up for our race start.

The race was my first mass start (they started all the Sport riders in one large wave) and with this in mind I rolled my wheelchair toward the front of the 100 person field. Even thou the race started with a 400 plus foot climb on the 3/4 mile dirt road I did not want to get stuck in traffic. Things worked out and I entered the single track in third overall, but with my main competition just in front on me.

But very quickly I realized I had a bigger problem....the bike will not sit in a gear. Over the next 4-5 minutes (after watching my main rival ride away from me) I figure out I pretty much have two gear, the granny in the rear and the middle or large chainring up front. Not the ideal gearing for a course that's a flat as your typical strip club, but I made do.

I spun up some climbs in a much higher cadence then I wanted and muscled up others in a much slower cadence....the whole time waiting to be eaten alive by the wolfs that I knew were somewhere behind.

But other then one rider (not in my class) that passed me as I was first trying to diagnosis the problem the wolfs never came, I guess this little piggie got lucky again. I finished forth overall but still only a second in my class....


So given the course, (I'm not a climber) the weather and my shifting issue I guess I'm fairly happy with the out come....fairly.