2 in 1

Alright peeps...I'm back!! So it's been a while and I have a good reason...I haven't been racing as much as I would like. This year was supposed to be the season of dirt...you know, back to where the EveredE started.

I fully planned on doing battle in the woods on a regular basis this season, then Mother Nature decided to RAIN on my parade...literally...bitch!! Also the dirt gods stopped smiling upon me...the Truth broke...sadness.

So I get in touch with the local Ellsworth rep to try and remedy this problem. He comes back to me with "it's too old, they don't make that design anymore and they aren't going to warranty your frame"...I kinda thought that might happen...I hoped it wouldn't but WTF!! That frame was $2000.00...so I welded it. It just needs to get me to winter.

A side note...SPECIALIZED BICYCLES stand behind their bikes. I had a 97 model MTB that failed, they didn't produce that model anymore and still warrantied it with a current model no questions. SUCK IT ELLSWORTH!!!

The dirt season started out promising...I managed to get some good racing under my wheels before the skies opened on what seemed like a daily basis...so much for that idea. I have said it before and I'll say it again...MTB racing in the mud is not racing.

Moving on...R.I.M. As I said earlier I welded my MTB frame. I did this a week or so before the Rapture in Misery so I could ride it and make sure it was going to hold. The 1st ride back was at Shawnee Mission park, a great place to test my weld. It's rocks with a little dirt thrown in to keep the ants happy...very technical riding and pretty demanding on equipment...the Truth survives so it's game on for R.I.M. I do 2 more rides on it before the race with no worries.

The night before R.I.M. it hurricanes...imagine that...rain the night before an MTB race...Thanks Mother Nature...HOOKER!!! Anyway, I'm set to do the 1st lap and I decide to line up on the front of the LeMans start...never done this, thought I would try it.

Go!!! I start running and quickly realize that the rest of the racers are SPRINTING...I threw out a couple of good obscenities and finally get to my bike...As I look back on that I laugh...I totally didn't expect to have to do my best Carl Lewis impersonation to get to my bike. My legs were shot for a week from that 75 yard sprint.

I roll out of the start area in about 13th, proceed to slide my way around the 9 mile loop fairly fast with no diggers and came into the transition inside the top 10 overall and 4th in class. It would've been faster had I listened to my gut and put my FREAKIN MUD TIRES ON!!! I did the first loop on hard pack tires...not mud friendly at all.

I hand off to Leadfoot, and he comes back right at an hour later. No worries it's a long race and it's hell hot...we'll be fine. I now have a mud tire on the front as I head out on lap number 2 and I'm on a mission. I'm now railing through the muddy turns I skated through on the 1st lap and I'm flying...about 3.5 miles into my lap, I hear a loud SNAP!! I stop thinking my rear hub just exploded, but no...the Truth had once again broke...but this time not a crack, the seat tube was now 2 pieces...GAME OVER.

The next day I looked at the weld I had put on it and I didn't put enough heat into it...as of now it's welded...again...but this time I put the heat to it and it has a solid weld on it. I went into it thinking it's broke and not rideable what's the worst that can happen...I fuck it up more!! OOOoooooo...so it has a solid no fear of screwing it up weld on it now...

Next!!

I did the Bicycle Shack TT today. It was pretty much fun, they had a Merckx division, which means NO AREO EQUIPMENT. Of the 12 riders in the group, I think I was the only one with 32 spoke wheels...Shoulda protested!! ;)

Anyway, my previous best time for a 10 mile TT on standard stuff was 26:31. Today I turned a 26:25, this made me happy. As I look back on this ride, I'm happy with how I rode today!! I was on the limit and focused the whole way...no complaints...well...there is the wheel thing, but it's no big deal...really!! Next time tho!!!

E