....and in a dust cloud we were off.
The first few laps went by in a flash, sub 30 minute laps in an endurance race are a little strange....but I felt good and was just rolling along. I was stopping every other lap for a bottle change and throw down a little grub. Things were chugging along just fine till I went out of my 6th lap. The first single track section was a flat and VERY fast section with a few slight turn here and there. Well lets just say I misjudged my speed on one of these slight turns and a tree ran out in front on me.....and by saying it ran out in front on me I mean I tried to do a power slide to miss it and it reached out and pulled me into it.
Pretty much broadsided the tree, lost some skin on the forearm, and slammed my shoulder into said running tree. But the biggie was I whacked the back of my head pretty damn hard. I must have tried to turn my head away from the impacted and most of the blow was taken by the back of my head just below my helmet. Let's say it hurt a little, but after a couple seconds away I went. The head hurt the worst until about five minutes later when I started feeling my jaw. Could not really open my mouth (which the Wife would love) without pain, so the wheels upstairs started thinking I broke my jaw.....nice, liquid diet...this may not be so bad.
An hour and two laps later I pit to see if I can eat. Was not the easiest thing in the world but I got a banana down...pretty much bite off a piece then used my tongue the smash it against the roof of my mouth. Not ideal, but it worked and back out I went. But this is when the other problems started.
Once I went back out my eyes could not really focus that well and for the first time ever the sunlight was not my eyes friend. I could see fine, but I just could not focus in on anything. Kind of felt like I was daydreaming and then would snap back into what I was doing. Needless to saying this was not ideal, one small half crash and a couple near misses I finished the next lap and week out for another knowing it was not the best idea in the world.
About a mile into the trail I tore a sidewall in the near and was on foot. I ran/walked as I debated what to do in the pits. I had a spare wheelset so I knew I could be in/out in a couple minutes. I was in the pits for less then 2-3 minutes when the Wife came running/rolling in....with the same problem in the rear. She'd heard the reports of the tree on rider abuse and turned off the racer switch and turned on the Wife/Mother questioning switch.
Ten minutes later I had beer in hand. Good, bad or indifferent everything happens for a reason. More then likely she saved me from doing something stupid....well, something stupider then normal.
Funny thing about that picture I was/am called Homer alot....and Hell, I think I'm looking a little more and more like him these days too.
So a little history, someone from my past used the line "friends do thing for friends" alot. Now "hypothetically speaking" I may have helped this person move a few times, mowed a yard or two, and gone to more an a couple Jai-Alai games with said person. And in return? I may have got threw a couple years of English and Spanish with the grammar skills of a 10 year old and not being able to order at a Taco Bell right now.....but that could be just the Southern school system too.
So my point, friends do things for friends....period. Friends don't use the words "lame, bummed and disappointed" if/when you ask something of them. If that's the case, you may want to take a better look at who your "friends" really are.
So that was yesterday. This morning I saw that one of the races I was REALLY wanting to do this year was filled/closed. This makes the third one this year I've missed....and I'm not talking about races soon, these are May-July timeframe. One was straight up my fault, I knew it would fill up and I just did not pay attention to when registration opened and I missed it. But the other two never even said word one in all the registration info about a max number of races, truth me...after missing the first race I double and triple checked.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm not pist at any race promoters here. Being one myself I know all the crap they go thru. My point to this then? One to vent, so vent over....and believe it or not I feel better. And two, if you have a race you want to do this year....go register, NOW!!
You may think she looks like this:
And you'll be singing this. But tomorrow morning you'll wake up to something more like this:
Drink up kids.....
Took it out for the first time last weekend, and simply put it's night and day compared to the older frame set.
Have not thrown on the light wheel set yet, but it's sitting just over 20lbs with only a couple personal touches.
So, back to the "what's your plan this year?"
Things I do know. I'm doing the Baker's Dozen and the Cohutta 100 again, other then that I have no idea. I'll race more then just these, but it may be a little different then prior years. Don't see doing much XC racing happening for a few reasons. One of which being asked to "target lightly attended races" for paper titles/championships. Talk about one way to lose respect for someone.
More so I see myself my a "bucket list" up. Races or things I want to do....not that I'm planning on kickin it anything soon, got want to start hitting things I want to do. Some may involve things other then a MTB only.
More tomorrow.
....well, untill I get back on the bike. Then the above could happen.
