The Death Nail

A nod to the Tomatofest ala Parker's bike, ride homegrown.

The band got together again over the weekend. It's been a long time since we all were able to get out on a somewhat organized ride. Road was on the menu for the day with a special request for some of the tougher climbs made by KRS1 and Meanjoe. The late start time was dictated by KRS1's busy social calendar. Both things everyone blamed on me. It's not my fault we left late on one of the hottest days of the year and rode some of the hardest climbs in the area. The river crossing and final death nail climb were my fault, but what road ride is complete without at least one hike-a-bike section?

A cooling dip was required before moving on. A balmy 104 on today's ride.

Photo cred: Meanjoe 

gRant heading in for a life saving bag of ice. 

After hitting the river halfway through the ride all I could think about was the cooler full of ice cold beer (thanks H.!) and the lake awaiting us back at the farm. It was pedal down after making the death ride back to the market. Gray's Point climb combined with the scorching heat about did everybody in. A brief ice stop and a team time trial home turned the death march into a mini Paris-Roubaix fun ride. Well at least for me (not so much the 6th man, eh KRS1?).

Jeffy was feeling the heat and exertion today, course he'd just worked through the night.

We cooled off in the lake until the stomachs made their intentions known and off to all you can eat sushi and chinese at Papa Chen's with the group just as a pop up storm was approaching. Of course there was no rain at the farm, but we were able to enjoy a cool front for the evening.

A breezy 83 degree evening was extremely welcome (we should have planned a night ride, doh!). H. headed out for a ride on Ian while the pups and I headed out with the Moots to spin out the legs. Dish and I ended up watching H. ride while JD trotted alongside Ian as he worked. It was a day full of outdoor fun and long over due as H. has worked the last 4 weekends in a row.

On the Fourth Day He Rode

Rain finally hit up North. Not a lot, just enough to wet the ground, crank up the humidity, and offer up supremo traction out back in the pit. I got home late-ish from work - just before dusk - but aching to get out for a spin. It's been one of those weeks and next week is already something I don't want to think about, so I'm going to get my play time in whilst I can. Since I've practically bought the firm one MiNewt at a time, I figure I probably should get some use out of the lights rather than let them age in a cabinet.

I mounted a MiNewt mini on the helmet, the MiNewt.X2 dual on the bars, grabbed the pups, and headed off into the drizzle. Dish opted to roam and explore the horse pasture before returning to the cool, dry, and comfy chair filled indoors. JD was as amped to get out on the trail as me no matter how dark and dank. It was go time.

Awesomely fast-ish. 

Sprouting veggie tation.

We've had some isolated showers in the area the past few weeks. Some areas have been deluged by stagnant showers that don't seem to move, other areas just get a few seconds of rain then it passes. Up North we've missed out on most of the rain. It's been so dry that the trail has become sketchy in some areas due to the dust. I'm not sure the horse fields have grown since tractorgate either. Monday and Tuesday's rides looked almost high desert-y in trail brownness. Add in one short afternoon shower and boom, every thing greens up almost immediately.

My IronMan repulsor is ready to fire.

Having a pup whose coat perfectly blends into most backgrounds and not having night ridden with him before I had to arm him with a safety light. Both so he could be seen and be found. The Backcountry Research provided REI sold SpotLit (specifically for pets) is the natural choice to clip to your pup's Dragonslayer collar (a damn fine collar, JD's has been thoroughly abused (tugged on, chewed on, swam in) for a year and is still as fresh as the day he got it). SpotLit comes in white and red. It's also water resistant (thankfully) and works just fine underwater as we found out when JD took it for a fully submerged swim test tonight. A side benefit: it allows you to track your night swimming pup as easily as it does on dry ground.

JD's SpotLit & Dragonslayer in action.

Centerlockness Monster Crossness

All Hands on Deck: Handmade mug, handmade frame.

Today started off innocently enough. A nice lay in after a night of Primus at the Ryman with the Clays of Clayetteville. Some routine bike maintenance and prepping for a mid-morning ride with the pup.

Are we gonna ride ride sometime today?

A lil' taste of PMBAR for today's ride. 

A short catch up chat with a sleepy H. who's working her 4th weekend in a row and whom I'd not seen nor spoken to since early Friday morning, then off to ride. Initially I'd planned to do a 30-ish mile road ride then grab the Moots, the pup and head out back for an hour of trail riding capping it off with a swim. But the temp outside was way too nice to waste on pavement and it was time to run the pup down, or at least attempt to.

Seriously, sometime today?

I've had to make some changes due to my work schedule (or lack of schedule) and it's taken me a while to adjust to the changes. My annoying stomach issue has also pushed the change along. No more can I enjoy the long hours on the bike or the ample time to ride. An hour here, forty-five minutes there, maybe two hours over there is about all I can regularly get. I also have a very active and bored-with-yard-captivity year old pup who deserves (demands) some attention, along with the daily chores of life and maintenance needs of many things. The short free hours are stretched thin, but I'm adapting.

Woohoo!

With all the endurance races passing me by due to work weekends, I'm trying to adapt from long distance / endurance / steady-eddie rider to short (shrinking isn't easy), fast, power rider. Which is something with which I'm not really all that adept. The focus now is on preparing for the self flagellating that is cyclocross racing. I'm probably sabotaging myself with my regularly irregular "training" regime too. One that looks more like something taken from the book of T.roy training methodology (50k run plan, eh?) than of the more proven tactics, but you use what you have available and I've got irregularity galore (no not that kind).

It's still several months out before cross season, but it's all I have to look forward to at this juncture (though I'm still anxiously awaiting a date (edit: Nov 27th, book it!) for the gravel grovel and will be keeping to some distance work to try to defend my rock). I don't really have much faith in my transformation. I've never been one who can just pin it from the gun for as long as needed. I pretty much rev it up, hold it as high as I can and try to out steady the other contenders. Sometimes this works as they pop from pinning it and sometimes it fails and The 'Dorfer gets the 'W'. Since I can go an hour without eating or drinking, it's what works out best with my current health situation and my un-allottment of allotted free time. I wonder how the 3 days of "specific training" over the past 2.5 weeks is panning out for my goal? Like I said, Book of T.roy training.

Then I got a few words of encouragement from recently returned from the woodwork KRS1. He reminded me that before I became an enduro nut I had a pretty good cache of ye olde XC racin' wins based not on skills, but pure power and speed. Ah, those were the days. Back when my power and speed quickly (and vastly) overshadowed my skills and wrecks were often and colossal. Back when I used to regularly whoop up on Todd "at least my wife has a World caliber engine" Park (aka Pepe) all around the Southeast on a 34 lbs $400 hardtail (4900: race proven). Then (thanks to folks like T.roy, Jut, and Ivory) my skills caught up and then quickly overcame my power and speed. And I've pretty much been a slacker ever since.

I am Hour Man!

But that is all about to change. I'm destined to return. I shall become the Hour of Power once again. I'll retrain my "steady as she goes" pacing brain to only think "you've got to pin it to win it!"  No more watching the 'Dorfer collapse into a heap of cramping fast twitch muscles at the end of a cross race with jealousy and still-able-to-ride-for-several-more-hours comfort. I, too, want to collapse at minute 61 into a knotted up mess. Show up at a mtb trail and only ride 1 lap. Have to be helped off my trainer or wiped up off the floor next to my rollers after pinning it for an hour and one minute. Legs up and cytomaxing. Maybe even sleeping in a hyperbaric chamber and learning to pee on my bike. Goodbye Hours Man, hello Hour Man. Think of all the extra un-free free time I'll have at my non-disposal?

 Co-pilot Riley

So after and hour and a half of trying to wear out myself and the pup and a relaxing 1/2 hour of swimming laps around the lake, I loaded up the truck and headed to Beverly, er, Jeanie, that is. Tommy and Riley are getting to spend the weekend with Uncle Thad and all the pups were heading down to MOAB with me to waste some hours swapping stories and sniffing grease.

SS specific this time. BAM!

Several years ago Hodge build me up a set of "will only last about a season" stupidly uber light weight set of wheels. They've been bomber even with my ramming speed, wheel casing, charging rhino style. Amazing really. I think they've only seen 2 or 3 dry races the entire time I've had them, all the rest have been the worse mud conditions out side of the Mohican (DSG 2011 motto should be: "DSG: At least it's not the Mohican 2010"). They'd never been serviced. I did have Mark and Rick at MOAB take a peak inside before I headed off to Kanza with them to make sure since I'd had some noise worry me, but they were good to go and put back together without any work done to them. They're still going strong even with my recent nipple breakage. So long rambling cut short, they've been more than stellarly fantastic. 

Look Dicky, even more centerlock-ness (FTW!) and I don't even fly! 

But if I truly want to emerge from this interwebber vanity cocoon as The Hour of Power, I needed some decent FRO (for racing only) hoops. I mean you can't be all that and a bag of chips with years old hoops that might or might not have been stressed in such a way as to pop a spoke at the most inopportune moment in a race. Nope it was time. I've not purchased a set of wheels since late 2004 when I got a set of dt hoops for my old 4900. It was time to reward myself. And I spared no boneheaded requests. I asked for the SS specific bolt on hub (the price of which rivals other big name sky high priced hubs and prompted such remarks as "wow, I've got new respect for DT Swiss hubs now") vs the geared quick release hub I'm rolling now which has proven to be plenty strong, but I want it stronger-er. Plus bolt-on is great for quick cross style wheel changes (doh!). I also asked for XC light but all-mountain strong. And brass nipples because strength tops weight and weight carries momentum.

FRO wheels when you're not racing = Best Wall Art Ever!

Now if only Miss Phat would get on with the Misfit Parody Fork realizational rationalization incantation I can up my FRO fear factor to eleven...

Hoping I don't drop the phone in the lake while swimming with the pup.

Temps being 99 with a heat index of 104 while the humidity leveled out somewhere in the bagillion percent range, a night of swimming usurped the planned ride. It was cooler and less wet in the water than in the air. Again, luckily leech free.

Work being more regularly regular hours this week I'd planned to ride in today and tomorrow no matter what the heat warnings had to say ("Excessive heat warning in effect until 7 PM CDT Thursday - NWS"), however the truck is in dire need of a diesel oil and fuel filter change (recommended every other service, btw) and today was the only day in which it fit snugly within my planned plans. Tomorrow doesn't work because they are showing "Chasing Legends" at the Belcourt (hurry and get your tickets now, they serve Yazoo beer there!) after work and Friday is Taproom/Sushi/Primus @the Ryman night (no room for servicing diesels then).

So it was a mixed mode commute today. Diesel to South of town to drop off the truck then cycle back into town and Westward over to work. Urban factories and train tracks make for a nice change of commute scenery vs the hill after hill of the normal route. I even get to ride along one of the old cable car routes, how historically exciting. 

Ramming speed!

Though getting out of the driveway proved a bit awkward. I really need to discuss the parking situation with the other tenant chuds.

Wanted: Spiderweb Clearer

Barn flowers.

I got out for an amazing 8 mile jaunt with the pup tonight, it was amazing because I actually had legs on my ride (unlike Doug "The Dick Crusher" Jenne). The pup was super wound up and in need of a run, I was super lethargic and headache-y after work and in need of a nap. Both were accomplished. Victory!

Now if I could only teach the pup to run in front of me with a long stick to knock down all the damn spiderwebs it'd make evening rides that much better. Icky spiders.

Bluetail, My Pet Dragon

The best summer days are the sunny ones that follow the big severe thunder and lightening storms only summer nights can conjure up. The pups and I enjoyed a spectacular display of lightening last night and the welcomed coolness offered by the storm front passing through. This morning temps were cooler and the humidity even lower. The sun was hot but the shade offered a breezy respite from the heat. A perfect day to be in the woods.

Having spent most of their time Saturday supervising, the pups were wound tighter than a Swiss clock and in dire need of some romp time. After a lazy morning of chores, bike maintenance and a filling hippie breakfast provided by ye olde slumlord chef-xtraordinaire Joe, the pups and I hit the trail. A trail whose conditions were perfect after the much needed rain. The dust was low and the trail dry with perfect traction.

Dish making sure the camping/cycling laundry drying in the distance doesn't do anything sneaky.

The penalty of living out of town is a longer work commute complete with traffic hassles. It also prevents me from partaking in much of the in-town shenanigans on a regular basis due to always having to make the long haul homeward late in the night. But the upside is being able to have singletrack and a swimming hole in the back yard. No leaving. No loading up the car, driving 45 minutes, unloading, riding, reloading, driving back home, and unloading again just to get a ride in. It doesn't replace the regular trails, but it does allow for days like today where I can get a good ride in, a swim, exercise the pups, finish lingering house chores, and most importantly...

Get home with enough time to enjoy a catnap in the shade. All the digging, trail building, and riding combined with the back to back to back late nights had taken their toll. So after our ride the pups and I sacked out in the back and enjoyed some outdoor downtime.

Dish has a nasty bite on his back. We're not sure what he got tangled up with, but it got him good. 

Wet pup drying and dozing off in the sun.

The pond has attracted it's first inhabitant, my pet dragon Bluetail. He's just a lil' guy right now, but I'm feeding him and soon he'll be big and strong.