Two races in two days...

One problem thou, only one finish.

So after a seven hour drive out to Ohio for the Mohican 100, a crappy night sleep and an early wake up call my race ended WAY to early (less then 20 miles in) when some nice young lady decided to take out the rear half on my drivechain. Derailleur hanger snapped, damaged derailleur and whacked rear wheel.

I guess the plus was that it happened right at a check point, and a couple bystanders offered to drive me back to the finish. So my Mohican day ended in a little under 10 hours, to bad seven of those was the drive home.

After an emergency late night repair by the Bikewrench, Wifey and I headed down to Iron Hill for the four hour endurance race yesterday.

After an early morning shower the 50 or so enduro riders (23 in the Open I think) headed into a slimly, slippery mess that was the trail. I went into the trail in forth and held that until I sled out on a wooden bridge toward the end of the 5.5 mile lap. Hiting the brakes on a wet wooden bridge any ten year old can tell you is a bad idea. Braking to change lines and miss the huge root coming up would be a good idea, unless your rear wheel is still on said wooden bridge.

The good thing is my two Teamates that passed me as I was countin fingers and toes did not see my jackass move.

On the third lap the trail started to dry out and things were moving nice. As I rolled thru to start my forth lap friends yell to "go get the wife, she just went into the trail" (the Sport class started two hours after the enduros did.) So after a quick howdy with Wifey (I think it boiled down to me yellin "give me a line") and her throwing an elbow my way I was off. Really, I'm pretty sure she was elbowing me out.

So lap five ran into lap six and then into seven with no changes. I finished the day in 6th with a little over 35 miles in the saddle. The body was a little sore from the "short race" the day before and the knee by no means felt right, but I was happy with how things ended up.

The next Kenda Cup XC is this weekend, but we'll see what the Doc's says tomorrow before making a call on that one.

Huge congrat's to Jason and Rich B on the sub ten hour times they threw down Saturday, nice work guys.

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.