Triple Dose of Love Potion #40

Sunday was the IMBA/SORBA Gravel Love Potion #40 fundraising event. I had been on the fence about going due to myriad reasons, but decided on Friday that I was definitely going. I'd missed the online sign up, so that meant getting there early enough to register before roll out. Pumptrack Jim, one of my Hickman County explorers, and I were going to meet up early at the school and ride to the start to get a little extra ride time in. As I rolled out 840, plans changed to just meet at the start lot, which gave me ample opportunity to register and socialize. I knew a lot of people who were going, but the surprises came when people I knew but haven't seen in years showed up.

James and Brenda were there when I started my cycling addiction. Brenda was on the very first M'boro bike club ride I showed up to, an ice ride. I have many, many, many memories of adventures with these two wack jobs. My favorite Brenda memory is when James and I stopped by her work on our way to a ride. She was in the break room with her co-workers when we walked in. She didn't recognize me at first, then, in her booming Cajun voice, exclaimed "Thad, is that you? I didn't recognize you with your clothes on." To which sparked many a snicker and gasps from her co-workers. Hilarious.

James and I have shared many a mile, but probably my favorite time was sitting outside an old mom and pop country store eating a fried bologna sandwich in the sweet stank of chicken farms all around. That is until Sunday. I was heading out for a short spin with my cross Czech friend Z when I saw them in line for registration. They'd brought their triple and were going for the full monty ride. I had been torn between hanging with the hammerheads up front or bouncing between groups of friends riding and being social. Once I found out James and Brenda were in, the decision was easy. The tandem crew offered too much fun to pass up. I'm not sure which muscles were more sore at the end: my legs, my abs, or my cheeks. Damn they are a hoot!

Along the way we ran across other friends who hooked up with our party barge. Chandler and Jason were out riding together. Jason on his brand new adventure bike and Chandler on his chain skipping, what the F is going on with my bike bike. I rode next to him and diagnosed the issue and we stopped at the top of the Turkey Farm Road climb and fixed it. No more skipping chain, which was good as we still had Ben Fly to come and the last thing you need up Ben Fly is fear of your chain skipping out on you. Jason and Chandler were a welcomed addition to our crew and helped keep the remaining miles entertaining.

We also hooked up with the man, the myth, the legend, the monster Scott McConnell at the aid station. It turns out that the third rider on the triple is a friend and co-worker of his. It's crazy when your worlds collide. Here were some of my oldest cycling friends riding with one of my best cycling friend's friend. Small, small world.

Scott adds his own unique fun to every ride. Our fun ride became a more friendly competitive funner ride with his company. Mailbox sprints, hill sprints, negative points, point totals we had to google to see which made up number was larger than the other made up number, and more blocks than a lego super store.

Anyway, if you made it out, congrats on a great time at a great event. If you missed out, fear not, you'll have another opportunity in the fall. To all my friends who made it out and made the day so fun and special, thank you. Cheers to Jimmy Simms, The Godfather Stanley Wills, Stephen and Ruthie Myers, Scott Grissom, Eric Schroeder, Cody Goodman, Ryan Smith, Cooper, Matty Portell, Chandler, Jason, James and Brenda and Janet, Monster, Z, Chris White, Johnny Crow, Kendall, Darryl, Scott Deshon and Eastside Cycles, Marshall and Seth, Garrett, Pete Young, Roger and Jamie, and about a hundred other people I'm blanking out on (I blame the 3 Spring Blondes that I just devoured). It was great shredding gravel with you all. Let's do it again soon.

Sunday was so much fun, I decided to keep the party rolling on Tuesday's ride. I rode about an hour recovery ride with H. who actually hopped on a bike due to the warm sunny weather, then headed off for another hour and change. Naturally I had to hit up the local gravel. It was wet, muddy, and slick. Perfect.

Moots will be coming to town the weekend of March 1st. We will be doing demos Sunday and Monday. If miracles happen, we will hopefully have one at a trail head, but seeing as how much rain we've had and how much is still coming, we might just have to forgo the trail demos and stick to the road. Sunday's will most likely be from the farm with demos going most of the day and a group ride of my Dwars Door Rockvlaanderen course. Mostly road with several pave/gravel sections thrown in for ultimate Boonen-ism. Monday will have demos from the shop unless we are able to setup in Percy for road and trail demos. So, mostly TBD but probably the farm. Love spring event planning in the Southeast. Hope to see you all there.

shadow boCXer

Today was one of those rare winter days that remind you it's not all that bad of a season. The sun has finally come out from underneath its seemingly weeks long cloudy blanket and brought some bright blue to the overwhelming greyness. Despite still being 21 degrees,  the solar radiation beaming down at least made it a balmy 21. The warmth of the sunlight against the crisp cold air was welcomed. So many night rides this season, it really was nice to get out and enjoy the daylight.

I needed this ride more than I realized and everything just sort of fell together. From picking the right direction where the route offered the greatest views to the wind, despite being a pest, was still fairly favorable. Even my iPod seemed to be having a good time tossing out random songs that fit perfectly to what was happening around me. Such as by playing "Don't Come Around Here No More" by Tom Petty as I rounded a bend to see a couple of meth chefs triple locking their decrepit gate and climbing into their creeper van. To the Replacements "Die Within Your Reach" as I raced down a gravel road to dismount and jump a cow gate like a cross barrier in time to avoid another volley of beer bottles from said creeper van meth chefs (better a bottle than a bullet or a bumper). To the Femmes "Country Death Song" as I doubled back and wound my way out of Methville. And finally cresting the highest point in Rutherford county as Sonic Youth's "Wish Fulfillment" popped on with a miles wide view to soak in on the rippin' descent. Like I said, pretty perfect.

Two and a half glorious hours on the bike after a morning of chores. Not bad for a Tuesday in February. The bad news is I saw my shadow. Looks like another 6 weeks of cross biking before I toss some 25c tires and big boy rings back on the bike.

Next Sunday is the Gravel Love Potion ride being put on by SorbaMidTN. If you've ever wanted to check out some of the gravel adventures to be had out in Hickman County or if you love riding the new trails out at Percy Warner and Cane Ridge, then sign up and join the ride. The money is going towards replacing the trail building and tooling account SorbaMidTN used to recently purchase the trail machine that built the trails out at Percy Warner. It's win-win. You can't lose, I promise. Though you can get lost. My advice, bring a buddy. Moo!

Sweeney Thüd, Demon Biker of Threet Street

I'm not sure if it's seasonal affective disorder or if I lost a bet with myself that I'm not aware of, but it's time for another embarrassing story about myself. Back in all the bullshit of late 2008 thru mid 2009 I had become a very angry and bitter person inside. I didn't like myself but I wasn't quite able to deal with it as well as I'd thought. On the outside I managed to mime normal, but occasionally I'd be unable to control the monster. Thankfully my friend Keith was around. His wife was stationed over in Afghanistan and his job at the time offered up a decent amount of free time where he could come over and ride. Those few hours a week kept me afloat, but I still needed to come up with a way to control all the darkness and hate in my head.

I've always been a visual person. If I see it, I can remember it. Recreate it. I can meet 10 people face to face and 3 days later I could police sketch each one of them, but probably wouldn't remember their names unless I saw it on a name tag. Then I can recall the tag and read the name. Same with maps. If I can see the map and the course, I can recall it by memory and navigate around. Turn by turn directions? Can't do it. I pretty much just lose my shit. 

So in order to begin controlling the bad thoughts, playing all those psych games of changing negative words to good words or trying to say something in a more positive manner didn't work for me. Words didn't help at all. I needed to "see" the thoughts leaving so just about the time I had almost sent my relationships past their last straw, I devised a method to eliminate the negative thoughts. 

Having no tv and no job at the time I had started to read more and I began with the Harry Potter series. In it there is this thing called a Pensieve in which one could pull memories out and view them. I loved that concept, so I borrowed it. When a negative thought, dark thought, or doubt would pop up and try to overtake my mind, I would reach up to my temple and pull it out. 

Then, because I am Ironman, I would blast it with my plasma thruster and poof! Obliterated. Annihilated. Gone. Mentally "seeing" the thought destroyed actually allowed me to move past it. Baby steps at first but soon giant leaps. I still employ this tactic to this day. If you watch closely, you might catch me miming it throughout the day. 

Over the past few days a few of those doubts and thoughts started beat me up again and the plasma thruster wasn't cutting it. Luckily there are plenty of back country roads to get lost in. They are now out there, alone. Unable to hang on. Lost in no country for old thoughts.