Little Adventures

It's been incredible following along Monster's progress in the Tour Divide race. He's crushing it in his typically atypical Monster way. He is of a different breed. That kid loves to ride his bike. He's well past the halway point and into the triple digit miles. 2,711 miles according to "Ride the Divide", though I've heard 2,741 miles bandied about as well. Plus with the forest fires raging and closing some of the sections off, who knows what his real total will be. Whatever it is, it's impressive. Pedal on Scott!

Meanwhile back at the ranch, I've been stealing away small adventures. Whether it's 45 minutes late in the day or early in the morning, I'm embracing my local outdoors. I even managed to squeak a camping excursion into the workweek the night of the super moon. It was the perfect night for a campfire.

A few moments ago as I was closing the chickens up for the night in the hen house, I stopped and looked up. The sky was clear and full of stars. I hopped on my bike and headed out to the back pasture. If the sky was as amazing as it was in the backyard, the way-back backyard would be even better. It was. Darkness, solitude, and beauty encapsulated me. Precious moments.

As the humdrum and bustle of the work week beats you down and wears on your last nerve. When you long for a vacation getaway but can't afford it nor have the time off available to you. When life is serving you lemons instead of lemonade. Look for little moments where you can find your own mini-adventure. Trust me, it's out there waiting. Beckoning. Ripe and ready for the taking.

Time At Play

A friend of mine teaches people how to think creatively. To adapt new ways of thinking to resolve complex problems. He's a pretty damn cool fellow whom I haven't seen in a very long time. Today that changed. We'd made plans earlier in the week to make time to get together for a ride. 

During our ride we caught up on our respective lives and told tales of our adventures. Lamented on time lost and things not done and how friends and loved one have passed on or are fighting illness. He made the comment of me being his pastor; someone whom he comes clean with and expunges all his demons. I was highly honored to hear that. I love our discussions and glimpsing the world through his filters. 

Then, while wandering the isles of the grocery store like a senile old man who lost his way, I started thinking about work and all the projects I need to keep on top of and follow up on and the changes about to happen when Patrico and Apollo leave. The stresses of the job started to overwhelm my peaceful day off.  Then I thought about my time with Parker and changed my line of thinking. I stopped my default. Time to design a new way. To follow Park's lead and design a new work life. 

I've been very fortunate this week. Although my time at home and at rest have been very scarce, I have been rich in friends. Work reached out and stole several hours of my time due to late night customer needs on Monday, but I was still able to make it over to help Monster pack his bike and go over his gear before he flew out for Banff and the grand depart. 

Tuesday was a wash. It involved a few hours of lawn tractor repair followed by hours of mowing, dentist visit, more mowing, traffic court, and finished the night up with more mowing. I did salvage the day with a short ride with the pups. 

Wednesday brought a ride with another friend who has moved on from Nashville. Farkas was back for a short visit and came out to ride with us on our Wednesday night shop ride. Another talented kid living the dream out in Colorado. It was great to be able to catch up with him and beat him in a sprint. Take that Mr. JR National Champion. (I didn't beat him, we're all just saying I did). 

Saturday gave me the gift of an early morning trail ride with the pups and a post work trail ride with the shop crew. An evening of racing around the woods with friends trying to beat the sun. Good times. Times we need to make more time to enjoy. 

Which pretty much sums up my design change. Make more time. My default is to let time run me. I think I'll be much happier running time. 

Daycation Saturday and Sunday Readings

This is the time of year for making hay as they say (they as in them) and we are definitely making some hay. Work hours have crept more and more into the free hours in order to keep people pedaling. The ebb and flow of the bike biz. In itself rewarding and taxing at the same time. Taxing only because it makes travel near impossible and I find myself missing time with the family out of state.

But hay season doesn't last all year and plans are being made for off-season travel so I just need to be patient, which doesn't come easily for me. Luckily I am surrounded by amazing and incredible friends who, for all intents and purposes, are family. Saturday happened to have the stars align to allow several of us to enjoy a brief, but fun, ride together after closing the shop. Friends like these make life better and the taxing hours and waiting for travel more bearable.

Unfortunately, three of these friends will soon be leaving. One (Scott "Monster" McConnell) will be flying out next Wednesday for his first attempt at racing/riding the Tour Divide. I've been able to enjoy a few overnights and late night rides with Scott and his Moots MootoX singlespeed during his build up for the grand depart. The recent months have proved to be a little too jam packed with obligations to get away much, but I was fortunate enough to snag a last ride in with him before he leaves. If anybody can complete this grueling race, Monster can. I imagine the most tired muscles will be in his face from smiling so much. Godspeed Scotty. Pedal on!

Another friend and co-worker Patrico will be leaving at the end of the month for a cycling adventure all of his own. He'll be riding from Coast to Coast across America on his Swiss Army Knife of bikes: a custom S&S coupled, every feature sans a chain hanger (#regret), Moots Psychlo-X ultimate adventure bike. Patrico and I have grown pretty close outside of work. He's been a competent farm sitter, a compatriot photography nut, a solid riding partner, and popcorn gourmet. He's moving on to the next chapter of his young life and I'm excited for him, but his presence will be greatly missed around the shop, farm, and back country roads.  Although I'm not one to desire a cross country road biking trip, I know it's going to be an amazing journey and I'm a bit envious of his current freedom. My wish for him is to include a bit more gravel/dirt roads and explore more of the remoteness and beauty the Midwest has to offer along his trek across America. Safe travels Patrico. I expect some amazing photos and video and a coffee table book for my bike room. Pedal on!

AdamD, the Apollo to my Rocky. Although he isn't leaving for a cycling adventure, he is leaving soon to follow his passion into the next chapter of his young career. With an eye to the future and a nose to the books, he will soon be off full-time to finish his degree in Mechanical Engineering. He'll still be in the same area code as me and although our schedules won't mesh completely, we should still be able to find some time to pedal together, his presence at work will be greatly missed. He's always been my parachute and had my back. It'll be weird opening the shop without him and his wacky music selections and poor clothing choices.

Changes are scary. Most people resist change pretty hard. As much as a couple of these changes will have profound effects on my life, I'm pretty at ease with them. Social media is great at closing the gaps in time and place and it'll be fun learning what bends and turns their travels will take them. And rather than sadness, I'm filled with excitement. New chapters for all and adventures to be shared. Even if it means I'm the one stuck in the same place. I'm pretty happy in my place. It's a good place to be.

At the moment I am enjoying a lazy Sunday morning listening to a few of my favorite NPR radio shows and listening to the thunderstorm outside. It's been a long time since I've had a day off in the rain (typically it's a race, a commute, or a work event when it's rained lately) and it's rather serene. And as any lazy morning should, I've had some good internet time and stumbled upon a few items I'd like to share.

First, this is a great video. Grab a cup of java, sit back and envy James and his collection, his shop, and his cool ass truck.

Secondly, Bunyan Velo is a relatively new quarterly digital magazine comprised of photos, essays, and stories from cyclists around the globe. It's free online or you can purchase digital copies. I haven't read it yet, but I have looked through at the photos twice of issue 2. My current favorite photo is of the dog sled team.

Thirdly, Specialized (a California bike manufacturer) recently announced their all new over the top wind tunnel for testing designs of bikes, tires, wheels, helmets, clothing, and even trees (hey it's their tunnel and they can do what they want) at their convenience. Velo Orange is a company that makes items for commuters and everyday cyclists like baskets, handlebars, and fenders. I love companies that have and display a sense of humor and Velo Orange has pretty good sense.

Bumped and Ground

Nothing particularly exciting has been taking place as of late. I've mentioned before we've been super busy supporting area cycling events each weekend, but when a small window of opportunity presented itself, I leaped before looking. Way too damn early Sunday morning Jeremy and I headed out for Birmingham, Alabama. We were on our way to race in the Southeast's biggest XC race 19 years running: The infamous Bump & Grind.

Seeing as the SS race started at 8:30am and we had a 3.5 hour drive ahead of us, I'd be lining the Moots MX RSL SS Mk II with the geared Cat 1 class at a more manageable 11:30am. At Oak Mountain. Where the trail has that M.C. Escher quality about it and the whole damn thing feels like your going downhill. Which was pretty obvious when we took off and were spinning 28mph into the woods around the lake. 6 miles into the trail, this little engine with legs spinning like an embroidery machine decided to back off the pace. There was no way I would be able to hold onto that pace for 30 miles, in the heat, with only a single 16oz bottle. I fell back into my own little world in the back of the pack and settled in hoping I'd catch someone up the big climb later on in the trail.

The forecast had called for rain, but it was bluebird skies and sun, 93 degrees and damn hot. We've not seen temps that high in Mid TN yet and it seemed to be affecting a lot of folks. I started passing guys that had blown due to the heat. Cramps seemed to be the name of the game for most folks. Luckily I've not had to deal with them much (just sealed my fate there, dammit) and was able to motor on past. I started keeping count as I made my way towards the top of the mountain. I'd caught and passed 12 of the 25 racers in my category. Mid-pack, just where I like to be.

I'd managed to keep the gaps all the way past Blood Rock as I made my way back to the start/finish area to begin lap 2. Then with about 3 miles to go for lap 1 I got swarmed upon. Nine of the twelve came buzzing passed me with their clickety gears and full suspension bikes. Stupid downhill. I was topped out with no match for a big ring. I decided to try to keep them close and make ground back up on the climb back up.

It worked (for the most part). I managed to pass several back and keep them at bay all the way back to the finish. 17th on the day. Nothing to write home about, but a pretty good showing for bringing a knife to a drone fight. Jeremy's day went a lot smoother and he nabbed 2nd in the Cat 1 30-34 category. About time his stars aligned.

It was a whirlwind trip and before I knew it work was hitting me upside the face and life was back in the swing full kilter. Work, chores, errands, and a little playtime snuck in for good measure. Summer is almost here. God I miss summer vacations.

Shonndiffic Memorial Day Weekend

I've taken some new roles and responsibilities at work, which means even less computer time to update the blog. I miss my updates, some of you may too, others probably don't even notice. C'est la vie. Good news is I have time now so enjoy this random photo dump of my past week. 

The full moon was over the weekend, so the nights leading up to it were bright and clear. We managed to get out for two weekday post work rides: our normal one and a special request via new job Lo. We've been riding every Wednesday night for over a year now with only one or two postponed due to icy dark roads or illness. It's been a grand time. The culmination of normal routes and exploratory jaunts made for probably the best 2 routes of the Wednesday night rides. Scenic, flowy,  a little bit of gravel, and a whole lot of fun. Long live Wednesday Night Worlds.

The shop I work for sponsors many events in the Mid-South region. A vast number really. I'm just beginning to get a grip on the depth of these events as I've acquired an events manager role. The last 3 weekends have had us out supporting multiple events as well as trying to man and run 3 store locations. It's been hectic to say the least. Luckily the long hours have paid dividends in some great rides. One of our rules is to play as hard as we work, and we've been working hard. 

The holiday weekend found us out supporting a local off-road triathlon that brought X-terra pros from across the world. It meant several extra hours on the clock while others were off enjoying the holiday, but it was well worth it. I was able to meet another one of my mountain biking heroes and yet again I'm impressed with how cool and down to earth they are. Even if they are technically a triathlete now (Hah! That was for you Farkas).

The best part of our time at the off-road tri was getting a chance to hang out with a friend and his fantastic family all weekend. The triathlon took place on a park that takes up a peninsula on one of the lakes around Nashville. The mid 80 degree sunny weather and full moon made for a pristine weekend to be out on the lake. Especially when surrounded by mountain bike trails. Ryan and his family live a block away from the park and hung out, entertained, and fed us nearly all weekened. We also managed to squeak in 2 full evenings of night riding. Baller. Thanks for the hospitality Ryan.

Wrapping up by 1pm on Sunday, I raced out and over to Clarkvegas for one of my 3 favorite holiday traditions: The Day Before Memorial Day Cookout at Uncle Chris's Farm. Nothing breaks the day to day monotony of farm life than a farmcation to another family farm. There are ponds to play in and around, trails and roads to explore, an old cemetery, and great food. Oh and a hammock. Gotta love a good hammock. It was good to mix it up for once.

Monday brought in time to catch up on chores. Lots and lots of grass cutting, weed eating, and tree clearing. All in all about 7 hours were spent clearing and prepping our trails for summer. With the ground finally drying up from all of winter and spring's rain, I was finally able to get all the trails cleared and rideable. Just in time for early morning summer riding. I've only gotten minor poison ivy outbreaks from the weed eater splashing urushiol all over my legs and arms. Damn. I can't stop scratching. Now if only I could find time to clean the damn house...

I even managed to sneak a commute into work Wednesday morning before Wednesday Night Worlds. It was a double decker day. Another shining example of playing as hard as we work. Speaking of shining examples, check out the super model horse of the barn "Primm". She's the Marilyn Monroe of the Equine glamor girls.