One by one...

or slow and slower. No, not me riding (that's just straight slow all the time) I mean the race schedule.

The race is three months away, but Wifey and I are in for the Leesburg Baker's Dozen down in VA. After being locked on the outside looking in on this race last year (it's capped at 400 riders total, counting teams) I signed us both up on day one....and I'm glad I did. I looked at it this morning and it's already at 210 riders, with just under 50 of those being solo men.

Still kicking around the idea of heading down to the course next weekend for a XC race....more so just to scout things out, not ready to go head to head in a XC yet. Don't have the high end cardio kicking right now, remember this is beer drinking...I mean base miles season.

French Creek and a WTF

First off the WTF.

For those that don't know (and I just don't care) the Eagles and Steelers are both in the playoffs for whatever retarded sport they play....yes, that was a joke....just a pissy one.

But to the WTF. Today while Wifey and I were on the PA turnpike to French Creek to meet a few other Guys riders I pointed to the chick in the passenger seat to look at the traffic alert sign (or whatever those big lighted signs that warn you about traffic, accidents, snow/ice or even randon hots chicks in need of help are called.)

But what does this sign says that our tax paying dollars are paying for? "Go Eagles" Not anything about the snow we were driving thru, the ice on the road etc. Just one more reason I hope they lose.

But as I said, we meet a group for what was a great ride at French Creek. The trails were perfect, about an inch of snow just to soften all the rocks...no ice and lots of traction. Two and a half hours of fun in the snow....and even with my clothes on this time.

And I still hate the Eagles, their coach, QB and most of all the crappy fans. If they're winning they love'em, if they lose. "They lost just to piss me off, fire the coach, trade the QB" etc, etc. Then after the next win, we've got the best team in the world, the best coach, best players...we're the greatest.

Come on Cardinals, or whomever they're playing....and once again I'll stand down from my soapbox

Misery

So I gave into Glenn's evil again yesterday and went out for a ride in the cold. It started the same, with only feeling the wind on a small area of the face....and once again after the turn north things were great.

I loved the looks we were getting from people in cars at stop signs and red lights. Nothing like looking at someone in a car with the heat on full blast wearing a hooded sweatshirt giving you a are you nuts look....I loved it, and that got me thinking.

After an hour of thinking on numerous things I came to the conclusion that I love misery. I'm not talking getting my ankles broken by some old ugly fat lady, I'm talking about epic conditions. I can't tell you the number of times I've heard fellow competitors in races or just friends on rides bitch about the wind, rain, temp, mud or how they're having a bad hair day.

I'm not saying I can handle anything (I've bailed on more than one race in my life) but you're not gonna hear me bitchin about it....and is it wrong to love seeing other people going thru misery? Or better yet, do everything in your power to show them you're not?

Don't get me wrong, I don't want anybody to get hurt, I just loving seeing how people react to adverse things. I may never be able to beat the other 95% of endurance and XC racers out there just because so much of this game is genetics. But I'd like to think I can mentally push myself further then other do, or will.

I'll stand down from my soapbox now. Not sure where all that just came from....but there you have it.

And with that, Damien and I are heading out again this morning......and with the temp sitting at 8 degrees, I'm sure I'll be getting those looks again.

Glenn...

For those of you that don't know I have an evil twin, his name is Glenn. We're both Gemini's so we have our two sides, but he being the evil one....well both his sides are evil. Pretty much being a prick and a jackass are his two favorite things....and somewhere in there pissing me off comes into play.

Well Glenn wanted to go riding today, even thou the temps were maxing out in the mid 20's and the wind was 10-15 mph. I tried talking him into just doing the trainer thing, the Aero stepper in the basement or better yet nothing at all.

After failing once again I start to repair myself to follow his evil plan. Next thing I know we're rollin out the door and to my surprise things felt fine. The legs felt spunky after the week off and the temp was not a problem.....until we turned into the wind.

Even thou I only had an inch or so of my forehead exposed it felt like that was being stabbed my a thousand knifes. I keep trying to change the angle of my head to somewhat get the wind blast off my forehead, but nothing was working.....and I was to the point of says "screw you guys, I'm going home."

But we made a turn north (out of the facial) and I stopped my crying.

An hour and a half later we pulled back into the house, the ride rocked and I felt great. Or in the words of the Master. So even thou it pains me to do so, I have to thank the evil one for dragging me off the couch....but he's still a prick.

The Sidi...

that gave it's all.

So the body is back to normal (if you call this normal) after Oleta and worse yet the 16 hour drive home....and better yet the bike (all the bikes) are stills hanging from hooks in the basement. Yep, my plump buns have not been in the saddle since the race....today being day ten.

But it's time to get things moving again, even thou the weather is not Miamish out there. One thing that won't be making the next ride is the old Sidi...
....and yes that's our sheet of ice (aka the back deck.)

The girl gave it her all, and she had a good year last year.....but she's done. I had to take her and she sister on the long walk to the trash can.....kind of bought a tear to my eye.

So out with the old in with the 18 year old......oh, I mean in with the new. Pretty sure I'm gonna pay for that one later.

Moving on from me getting beat by Wifey, to still trying to work out a race schedule. I'm thinking it's gonna be a strange mix, a little less on the local XC front....and more on the endurance front and other XC's, just outside of the area.

But we'll see....now I'm off the to find a good hiding spot before my beating.

12 Hours of Oleta

So, after a seventeen hour drive in the car, five loads of laundry and getting the kids out of doggie jail things are starting to return to normal.

The body feels pretty good, expect the arse. Must have went a little light on the undercarriage lube, because we've got some mild to heavy chafing....still hoping to get back in the saddle tomorrow thou.

So a few other things outside the highlights I gave the other day. The course was great, a few changes from last year....I think all for the better, added some great new single track...can't go wrong with that.

A shot Wifey took on the Friday pre ride:
The race started with a 400-500 meter run before we jumped into the single track, and with a little luck I was sitting in about 10-12th....right behind Prickish Maximus. The first hundred yards of the trail had a few tricky/tight climbs and turns. It took Mr PM about 1.5 seconds of being "slowed" to start his yelling "get the F out on the way, if you can't ride a bike get off the F'ing trail." Then came my personal favorite, "pro rider back, get the F out of my way!"

Class, straight up class.

But as in all endurance races things work themselves out and I was riding for the most part alone, passing and/or being passed by a Team rider here and there. I pretty much just fell into a grove and was rolling with it....it must have been some grove since seeing the first of the two topless sunbathers did little to break my mindset. The second did draw a little more attention, but she was also sporting fresh off the showroom floor bolt-ons.

A few bunny sightings later is when Mr T-Rex (the iguana) and I had our meeting. Guessing someone let there pet free once it got to big, cuz I'm pretty sure those things don't normally sport around southern FL. I'm just glad he was the smarter/more awake one and got the hell out of dodge.

I could hear Wifey now back in the pits...what happened to you? I hit/was attacked by an iguana..... A what?!....You heard me, a freakin iguana. If that conversation happened I'm pretty sure she would have called it a day for me...luckily it did not happen that way.

Once the night laps came around things got REALLY quiet, and other then a lot of beady little yellow eyes not much was happening. That is until my little shoe problem (I'll get a picture of that later today.) But even with that it was a good day.....4th of 30 plus solo men, just under 110 miles and a little over 11 hours of ride time.

A huge thanks to the Berger's for once again putting on a great race for all. This is our forth trip to FL for the 12's they put on and everyone is top shelf....we'll be back next year, if not sooner.

Oleta minor

Wifey is motoring us thru VA right now, so that means I lived...I think.

The body feels pretty good (considering) just the normal, sore everywhere. Much better then lastnight, I'll go into the full write up tomorrow.

The highlights:

ride time....11:09
11 laps
just over 108 miles

But the more important highlights....as always you see a little wildlife on endurance races. So I saw the normal, two rabbits, a snake and the raccoon that keep trying to raid or pit area. But remember this is Miami.....therefore you have to throw in a topless chic or two sunbathing and believe it or not (shocking for me to say) that was not the big one.....really.

About nine hours in I came around a blind corner and was face to face with a three foot Iguana....I say again, a three foot freakin Iguana. Not sure whom was more scared me or the freakin T-Rex. Luckily he had the larger brain of the two of us and got the Hell out of dodge.

So the outcome. I held third place all day, 3-4 minutes up on forth place. But on the last lap I thought I'd make things a little harder on myself, so I ripped the whole freakin sole off my right shoe. Needless to say this made jumping over roots and rocks less then easy.....luckily there was only one every ten feet. So in the end I could not hold dude off, forth place it was.

Tee minus 13 hours...

till the start of the 12 Hours of Oleta...so lets go thru our pre race check list.


Bike dialed in...check


Back up bike...check


Bottles, pills, powders and bars ready...check


Lights charged and spare part bag ready...check


Inner ear infection coming on strong...check


Yep, even thou I'm about eight years short on the schooling I'll put on my doctors dress on and call this one. I noticed my ear starting to hurt Wed, did not think to much about it. Yesterday during my pre ride of the race course my jaw (same side as the ear) started hurting too....but still did not really think to much about it.


But this morning I put two and two together and I got the normal three when I about feel down trying to get out of bed (for once it was not because of alcohol.) After wobbling into a couple of walls I figured out what was going on...crap.


Oh well, we're here and I'm gonna give it what I've got. So it seams I may have a reason to smack the tree I hit even damn lap last year. But if it happens as may times as last year I'm taking a chainsaw to it.....I may not return home with a podium, but I'll have firewood for the rest of the year.