Rollin West

So I can't walk up/down stairs and pretty much can hardly walk at all for that matter. I foresee white rooms with people in doctors smocks in my future but until then, it's time for more stupid human tricks.

The Mohican 100 it is.

Five minutes

Give five minutes today:
It's the least you can do for them.

Dirty and Wrong

No, that's not my new porn movie title. That was how this mornings MTB ride felt.

With back to back races called off (and a broken spoke a mile in on my last attempt) there's been little off road riding, until today. Wifey and I headed down to Wissa for a couple laps this morning and all I can say it everything felt wrong. Not the bike or the body just riding off road.

Downhills that I've done a thousand times I was nervous to do, and a couple technical climbs that I've not dapped on in years I screwed up on. It took over an hour but I started to remember how to ride a bike (not that I every really was any good at it.)

Tomorrow is another MTB with the Team and some friends. If things go well with that maybe the next step is to diside that to do next weekend. Either the four hour endurance at Iron Hill or to man up and head out to the Mohican 100.

We're gonna need a bigger boat

Or a boat period for that fact.

Even thou Wifey and I have been in PA for five years now I still keep an eye on the happens in Daytona Beach. I knew it's been raining down there for the past week but hell, it's the Summer in Florida....it rains everyday.

I had no idea how bad it was till I saw these pictures this morning. These are a couple shot from the Speedway.....and yeah, that is the track itself that's under water.
There is a lake in the in field, but this ain't it.

Now I'm about as far as you can get from a Nascar fan. The only time I ever went to a race was when my Dad broke my brother and I out of elementry school to see one. (Now how I can remember things like that from 30 years ago but I can't remember things from last week I have no idea.) But damn that's ALOT of water.

For once I'm glad to be in PA other then sitting on a beach in FL....just don't tell anyone that.

10 Years to life...

No I'm not talking about prison terms here (thou some may call it that,) talking Wifey and I.

Today's our ten year anniversary. Not being married, but our first meeting/date/set up which starting this whole ball rolling in the first place.

We lived roughly in the same area and went to all the same places for 15 years before we ever met (luckily.) We've both said numerous times that if we had met at any other time we would not be sitting here now.

Let's just leave it at we both changed ALOT in that time frame, one of us more then the other....everything happens for a reason.

So here's to you Wifey:


So plans for the day. On the record an afternoon movie and dinner, off the record.....

The Squirrel

We've all seen "suicidal squirrels," you know the ones I mean. Those little blurry balls of fur that fly in front of your car/motorcycle/bike/walker or whatever. I swear I think it's just them and their and play chicken their buddies.

I was on the road bike heading back toward the house enjoying my favorite mile long downhill when I saw a first for squirrels. I was rolling along in the mid 30's when a squirrel came darting out in front of me, and the only thought I had was "this is gonna hurt"......little did I know this was not your ordinary squirrel.

I knew I had him dead to rights with my front wheel and I was already mentally calling 9-1-1 then this little bastard took flight....I kid you not, he jumped and cleared my wheel.

I went from being fat dumb and happy to thinking I was going to the hospital, back to fat dumb and kind of happy in less then five seconds. I looked back and saw Super Squirrel heading up a tree, probably to change his shorts...which was the first thing I did when I got home.

Stella "The Race"

This could be the greatest commercial ever....well, that did not involve a bikini.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mmq9UHX0IEs&feature=related

Stan's or no Stan's, from now on there will be a nail taped to my bike.

Kenda Cup East #1: Ducktown, TN

Friday had Wifey, Janel and I heading back to TN for the first of the new Kenda Cup Series here on the east coast.

After being stuck in traffic for an hour we decided to grap some food and call it a night midway thru the 12 hour drive. We knew we were in luck with our Mexican food choice (and our only choice of food) when we saw a handmade sign on the door walking into the restaurant that read "no pubic restroom." And with the limited scan I did they were true to their word.

When we checked into our hotel I found this sitting on the shower ledge:

At the time I did not think much of it, but with an hour it came it me. The race was in DUCKtown, TN and I have a rubber duckie (my new bath toy) at a random stop midway down. It's gonna freakin rain, I know it.

At the time they were calling for some light rain Sat that would clear out by race time Sunday. That all changed by the time we woke up Saturday morning. Flood warnings, heavy rains and just all around happiness was in order.

After packet pick up we were off for an easy scouting of the course. After a half mile of paved to gravel to concrete the climbing started with a mix of singletrack and doubletrack over the next three miles. Then a mile or so of rolling singletrack led us the a mile long bombing packed gravel downhill that put your high speed BMX cornering skills to the test. Once again on singletrack we keep the downhill thing going on one of the best downhills I've rode on the east coast.

After a night of heavy rains once again Wifey had lots of these to see in route to the race start:

Even with the rains we were a go, and after some prep time...and lots of trying to stay dry I found myself at the starting line up. But the only thought I had as I stood with the other Cat 1 men was "what the Hell am I doing here?" I'm standing in a sea of 24 Trek, Cannondale, Gary Fisher, Independent Fabrication and other riders that most were "Semi Pros" last year before the USA cycling class change.

As the moto took us out on our "neutral" start to the base of the climb I was sitting in sixth and feeling good...even with a HR in the upper 180's. 1st-3rd place were gone in a blur but five of us were bouncing positions the whole first lap and into the second. Midway thru the second lap on the bombing gravel downhill I rolled my rear tire sliding thru a corner and broke the seal on the tubeless tire. A 30 second CO2 repair and I was off, but without my prior riding partners.

My repair job did not last as long as I wanted, and I had to stop once more on the final lap for a second CO2 repair. Guessing the Stan's could not get a good seal with all the water/mud on the rim and I saw a few more places drop away. Coming out of the last singletrack I was caught by a rider and I looked under my arm to see my class series of numbers on his number plate...crap.

With only a paved somewhat flat mile to the finish I locked out the Lefty threw it in the large chainring and gave it Hell. I put over 40 seconds on the guy, but it was still only good enough for an 11th overall. A little out classed right now maybe, but nothing makes me want to train harder then things like this.

Once again a huge thanks to the Berger's of:

and all those that helped them put on a great race in less then great conditions.

Photo's are up from last weekend Epic melt down.

My fav, I kind of have the scared ten year old girl look to me....minus the 10 year old girl part. It'd only rocks and water, not a freakin polar bear....wimp.

Working on three hours of sleep right now, so this may make less sense then normal. Got home at three this morning after the 12 hour drive home from TN (same local as last weekend) for the first of the east coast Kenda Cup races.

More on that after I break the dogs out of doggie prison, and start laundry...and clean some of the mud out of the car and myself. No more details to come on that part.