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

The tale of a 3...

It finally happened...I have officially lined up as a 3. I have to be honest, I was a bit nervous the week leading up to this race, after all it was a new group of racers that are faster, and my training for various reasons is not at the level it was last year...

On to the race...My race day ritual, like most racers, is timing based. You know...leave on time to give yourself plenty of time to get ready, eat at a certain time before the race so you don't chuck, and so you're not starving when you line up. This day was no different.

So I get to the venue with the first race going off as I sign up, meaning I have about 45 minutes to get ready. No worries...then I find out that the start of the 3's race will be delayed due to some poor fool throwing his manhood into the meat grinder of marriage!! There's a church on the course that was being used for this man card termination!!

Anyway...it's a good thing this was happening, because with 3 laps to go on the 1st race, I was just getting on my bike to warm up...not good!!! I jump on the course just as the last few 4's are finishing. I roll past the start line to find out the race will indeed be delayed...WOOOOHOOOOOOoooooo!!! I now have time for a warm up!!

The race was supposed to start at 6:40...it started at 7:30. After riding around the course for what felt like an eternity I see riders starting to line up, so I head to the start line. I'm sitting there for about a minute and another rider asked me "did they call us to the line"? I say no we're just greedy!!

As of late I have had issues with hitting my pedal on the first try...about a minute before the race rolls out I say to myself, relax, you know how to do it, you'll hit on the first try. It worked!! The wedding finally rolls out and they say GO!!

I get a great start, I'm sitting about 7th heading into the first turn. We roll through this turn and the screws are immediately turned...no worries I'm feeling good. On lap 2 a rider goes on a flier with about a half lap to go, at this point we are rolling through the lower parking lot, the field slows a bit and I maintain my speed and attempt to jump across the gap. I get separation from the field and make it across...woohoooo...that was painful!!

That attack was short lived...it lasted about a lap. The field was still fresh...As I have said to some people in the past...If you never try, you never win!!!

About 2 laps later we diving down into turn 1 (which is a technical, 1 lane 90 degree, downhill left with square curbs at the apex and outside exit) and I'm sitting 7th. A rider 3 spots ahead pushes the front and down he goes!! The 2 riders immediately behind him rail inside of this knucklehead, at this point, I can see his carcass will be where I'm headed...OH SH*T!!! So I grab fists full of stoppers, the guy slides across my intended line into the curb, and I crank my bike hard to the right and managed to avoid him and the curb...a hollow victory...as this happened the front 4 riders drill it and create a gap.

At this point I'm pissed...Jackass gets up and starts to ride in the direction of the race...I'm ranting aloud at this point and say F**K THIS...I'M TAKING A FREE LAP!!! Captain Road rash hears me and says "we can do that"?!?! I responded with a HELL YEAH and proceed to ride to the officials. Road rash and I get there about the same time, and I tell the official I was caught behind him and had to avoid him or meet certain pain!! They grant us a free lap...

As we sit there, the official asks us if we were with the leaders, I say hell yeah, the field was still solid when he hit the pavement!! He says ok, I'll put you back with the 4 man break when it comes by...SWEEEEET!!!

The break is about to come by and the announcer says "put them in with the field"...So much for a repeat victory...The gap was not very big and had I not been sitting there for an eternity I think I could've jumped across to join the front. As it was, my legs immediately loaded up and I suffered greatly for a lap and a half!!

Back under control, my job at this point was to manage the field because I had a teammate in the break...There was 4 of us flying the Shack colors left in the field and once we were on the same page, we shut down pretty much everything that tried to go from then on!!

The last lap...Due to our efforts at controlling the field, everyone, I felt, was rested...This is gonna be interesting...A little less than half way through the last lap the pace goes straight to the redline!! Up the hill, left, down a short straight, right into a parking lot going at least 30mph at this point...at the end of this parking lot, there's a chicane that sets up into an uphill right.

I'm sitting about 15th going into this turn. I set up for a wide line on the outside...I'm carrying a ton of speed, the riders in front of me grab brakes and dive for the inside line...I think about the stoppers but that's about it...I rail around the outside and my line is going to take me to the curb...I realize this and put total faith in my tires and my bike handling skills and lean a little more...I missed the square curb by couple of inches at the most!! I say out loud...OH YEAH!!! I CAN'T BELIEVE I DIDN'T HIT THE CURB!!! I would have bet money I was gonna wad it up and find myself on the ground in the grass, that's how close it was!! At this point I had moved into the top 10...A great move!!!

While I was yelling this, we were climbing, headed to the last turn and the sprint finish. We all start sprinting and in the end my spectacular move and adrenaline fueled comments ran me out of gas about 30 meters short of the line...after all, if you're talking, you're not breathing...so a potential top 10 turned into 13th...

There you go now you know...No one knows how a race will play out and crashes happen!! All you can do is stay at or near the front and be attentive. Sometimes this is not enough but that's racing...

Overall I felt better than I thought I would, this is encouraging!! The Tour of Lawrence is up next and after this ride I'm pretty sure I will be lining up!!

Racing Mother Nature...

The pic was taken about 45 minutes after this ride ended!!

Hmmm...If you are an avid cyclist this dilemma has probably presented itself to you at least once...probably more!! I'm talking about looking at the radar, seeing rain headed your way, and thinking to yourself...That's about an hour away, I can get a quick 20 miler in.

I have taken this dare from Mother Nature numerous times, and for quite a while I had a winning percentage. She can talk trash with the best of 'em and get you out on your bike in the smallest of weather windows...BEEHATCH!!!

Saturday was one of these days. The storms were more than an hour away, so I saddle up for the Saturday ritual which usually nets me 50-60 miles...or roughly 3 hours-ish of ride time.

Fast forward 2 hours...As the group I'm riding with rides north, Mother Nature shows her hand...Aces and 8's...the dead mans hand!! The sky was BLACK!! So we roll into the college where the group ride ends with thunder and lightning all around. I sit there for a few minutes and ponder what to do while I wait on Leadfoot. He rolls in a couple of minutes later and offers me a ride home, but we have to ride to his house...I say HELL YEAH!!!

At this point Mother Nature is poised to deliver THE sucker punch of the season so far!! The wind had been out of the south all morning, now it's out of the northwest and freakin howling!! Fortunately Leadfoot lives east of the college about 5 or 6 miles...so the wind was helping!!

We had just finished the hammer portion of the Saturday ride only to follow it up with a race with Mother Nature!!! Yay...so we take off and start killing it again. We get about a mile up the road I turn and look back and the Mother Nature is right on our wheels...I think she was drafting!! Anyhoo...we proceed to kill it all the way back Leadfoot's house and about a mile out it starts sprinkling, so Leadfoot kicks it up a notch and we get to his house about 5 minutes before she pulled the plug!!

WE WIN THIS TIME!!!

A new level...

I have said this before and now I'm saying it again...Missouri is one of the most unfriendly states for cycling EVER!!! This was reaffirmed for me just this morning.

My usual Saturday revolves around "The Saturday Ride" that leaves and finishes at LVCC. Today was no different, it was a nice morning and for the most part a nice day...with one exception.

A teammate and I were on the last section of road before the end of this ride rolling along at least 20mph, more or less riding on the stripe on a road that passes a golf course. In the past, impatient golfers have buzzed me, sped up to get by me only to have to jam on the brakes to make the turn into this goat ranch, and today a new level!!!

My teammate and I were at the most 50 yards away from the goat ranch entrance, rolling at least 20mph. All of the sudden to my right ON THE SHOULDER OF THIS ROAD, an EFFING B***H GOLFER is passing us...That's right...on the shoulder!!! While she's passing us, she's looking at us like we are in the wrong!!! It was so surreal, I actually took a double take...I couldn't believe my eyes!!!

This more or less infuriated me, so I started mother effing and showing her she's number one. I see her turn into the goat ranch a whole 40 or 50 feet ahead of us...and I follow. I'll give the clean version here...I asked her what her problem was and she said we need to ride on the shoulder...I said you passed us on the shoulder and that she should use her brakes and wait a few seconds...it went on a few seconds more...you get the point.

The thing that got me the most was the pass on the shoulder only to turn in to this place 3 seconds ahead of us...would it have been so bad to wait 10 seconds at the very most and not risk running down 2 cyclists to get to a tee time?!?! I think so but what do I know...I'm a cyclist.

I guess patience is a lost art...and to me, riding around here is only getting more and more dangerous...THAT SUCKS!!! Just thought I would share this one...it was a new level of ridiculous!!!

AHHHHhhhhh.....deep breath....I feel better....Watch out for the stupid people, because they're NOT gonna watch out for you...

The ToM and shtuff...

First, I would like to say how much of a JACKASS the gov. of MO (Jay Nixon) is!!! To be the cause of the downfall of one the greatest events in MO is FREAKIN REDICULOUS!!! As I have read the facts being posted FB, the 1 million dollar investment last year netted the state 38 million...Where's the "good reason" to let the ToM die...THERE ISN'T ANY!!!

I have always said that MO is one of the least cycle friendly states EVER!!! This just reaffirms that belief from the top down!!! Jay Nixon is a JACKASS!!!

Moving on...as of late my cycling ritual has been feeling a bit stale. So I decide to change it up a bit by rolling over to the Tuesday night crit. This was a good move on a few levels!! First, it wasn't the same ol same ol...Second, it rained like we needed to build an ark on the route where my usual Tuesday ride rolls...and third...hmmm...I had FUN!!!

I've done the crit a handful of times, and it's been years since the last time. Since the last time, the promoters have made a few changes to make it safer for all racers involved.

Way back when it was one group of all abilities. Now it's 2 seperate races, the A race...cat 1,2,3's and the B race 4,5's. Apparently the fields were getting to big and slower riders were crashing and taking out the big dogs...not good!!!

So knowing this, I head over and line up anyway. The race started at 6:30 and was 45 minutes in length. The first time check was 20 minutes to go. At this point I'm thinking that's a long time and I'm kinda dying right now...I punch the little voice inside my head right in the eye, suck it up, and keep on riding!!

For the most part I sat in and rode pretty conservatively, mostly because this was the first time this year doing anything like that on the road machine. Also it was my way of making sure that I had a little gas left in the tank if the really fast guys turned the screws...which they did...a few times...

All in all it was a good experience and I'll probably do it a few more times this year. I don't think it's worth 10 bucks...but for a change of scenery, I'll pay!!

Oh yeah...The first Thursday after this holiday, the Thursday night short track xc racing starts...weather permitting. Big ringin on the Truth!!! WOOOOHOOOOOooooo...can't wait!!! Another change in scenery!!

I have dirt in my blood...mostly from the diggers in the woods over the years...but anyway.

E

The thorn of Krugg....

I had a race recap posted a few days ago, but the more I thought about the race and the DNF I scored, the more it made me mad!! So to magnetic heaven it went!!

Hind sight is 20/20, and I should have hardened the F**K up and finished...As I have always said, the only lessons you remember are the ones learned the hard way...Lesson learned.

Where'd who go....

How to motivate one's self...Mr, Miyagi says...oh weedhooper, you racka disiprin!! I don't lack discipline...I lack motivation.

Let's back up a week...Saturday night before the 3 hour race, my sinuses started draining shortly before I went to bed. Needless to say, I woke up with a GINORMOUS headache. So now only hours before a race that I wanted to do, I'm generally not feeling it...As I get ready to head to leadfoots house, I keep saying to myself listen to your gut...repeatedly.

You all know I did the race, and the whole time I was blasting through the woods I'm thinking I'm gonna be sick on Monday, yet I keep it on kill. Monday rolls around and I feel about half crappy...Half beat up from racing and half crappy from the freakin head cold I now have...Once again I should've listened to the gut...

Now it's Friday and I have only ridden once this week, and that was a recovery ride on Tuesday. Why you ask...I say to you...I left my motivation in Smithville...

Does anyone else find it difficult to get out and ride/train when you feel crappy or is it just me? I'm thinking that my motivation will show up tomorrow, and I will be back on track for the goals I have set for this season. But for now, one more day of being a waste of space is what I'm feeling.

Hello couch!!