countdown to the DPR

2 Days left till the DEAD POSSUM RIDE!
Are you ready?
Are you coming?
I feel sorry for you if you miss it.

running & riding Fun Fest style

Fun Fest week has officially kicked off in Kingsport, actually it kicked off last weekend but most of the events I planned on doing are over now. Last Sat. night I entered the Crazy 8's 8k run for the 4th time. I had a goal in mind to try and keep my buddy Chris Dillow in sight for as long as possible. He's alot faster runner than me but he's been claiming not to have been running much this year. After Sat night's race I know he was lying. I lined up right behind Chris in the mix of 1700+ runners and kept him in sight for almost the first mile. With that many runners around us it was tough to keep a good pace and you really have to pay attention to the others around you or you could go down and get trampled. I almost witnessed this first hand when a kid near me tripped but luckily for him a guy behind him grabbed him by the back of his shirt picked him up legs and arms dangling and ran with him until he righted himself. Chris's pace was faster than I knew I could handle but I pushed on hoping he would slow after the crowd thinned out. As we ran along the 2nd street I had to cut right and hop onto the sidewalk due to slower runners in front of me. Chris must have done the same but went left because I never saw him again. I decided then to find a good pace for myself fire up my Ipod and finish as strong as I could. As we came through the halfway point the leaders (Kenyans) are usually finishing and you can see them entering the stadium. I watched as we passed each other and it wasn't until the 11th runner that I saw someone from this country and I doubt he was from the tri-cities.

Lining up at the start

Sara Reed, Chris Dillow & I before the race.

The finish line inside J. Fred Johnson stadium

Yesterday afternoon I entered the Bays Mountain Mountain Bike Rally, a race that's been going on longer than I've lived in the tri-cities put on by our local bike shop Larry's Cycles. Even though the course consists of all gravel roads the competitive side of it still makes it fun. There is not much in the way of flat terrain at Bays Mountain so some of the roads have eroded pretty bad during heavy rains. One section in particular is a steep downhill that is rutted out so bad there are no good lines and I'm surprised the section has not been eliminated from the course due to safety. At one point during the descent I thought I was going down when I tried to take a line too fast, the gravel was deep causing my rear wheel to slide around sideways. I manged to steer my bike out of the gravel and off the road in order to slow down. By the time I reached the bottom my arms were shaking from all the bumps and hard braking. After the race we learned that someone did take a spill on the firetower descent and broke their arm. Maybe next year they organizers will see the danger in this and change the course.

Gearing up to ride.

Lining up to race.

Mike and I duking it out at the halfway point

Earlier in the year it was rumored that the new Chiquapin Trail that we built was going to actually be added to the course to make this mountain bike race actually feel like a mountain bike race. Well it didn't happen but they did announce it will be added next year. With all the great singletrack at Bays Mountain I'm surprised the majority of the course is not singletrack.

I'm looking forward to this weekend, the 1st Annual Dead Possum Ride kicks of Saturday morning with tailgate grilling afterwards and a backyard skills party that evening. Bikes, grillin', beers and more bikes, what's not to like about that.

gettin' crazy in the dark

Tonight at 9:58 I will be lining up on Ft. Henry Drive in front of the stadium for one of the biggest running events in the tri-cities, the Fun Fest Crazy 8's. It's an 8k road run that does a figure 8 around town in the dark. Some of the course passes through neighborhoods where the folks who live there light up the street with luminaries, spray the runners down with water, blast music and pretty much turn it into a block party. Probably one of the funniest races I've ever attended mostly because it's at night vs. the early a.m. and the streets are lined with spectators cheering you on. The race really draws a crowd from all over the world especially Kenya. The course holds the record for the world's fastest 8k which has been broken a couple times since I've began running it. I'm tempted to run with my camera in hand to capture some of the race action. Last year I missed out on the run due to a back injury but this year I will be in attendance. My goal is to keep my buddy Chris Dillow in sight for as long as possible. He's a pretty fast runner and if by some crazy chance I can keep up with out bonking I should pull off a pretty good time. I don't expect that this will really happen due to my lack of training but I plan to give it my best shot. Normally I do a 40 mile bike race the morning of but this year I decided to skip the Tour De Possum Creek because of it's re-organization so I should have fresh legs.

telemarketers

Just got off the phone with Charter Communications, a company I have come to hate. I do subscribe to their cable and internet service but only because they are my only choice. Technically I could go the satellite route but it would be more of a hassle. Charter has begun calling me about twice a month now trying to sell me the home phone service something Melinda and I have not had in a little over 6 years when we realized we could get by with 2 cell phones. I have become used to the telemarketers now and I know exactly what they're selling before they begin. The last time I told the lady before she could begin I wasn't interested in their phone service then there was a pause, probably a little surprise on her end about my remark. She stumbled on her words a minute and then continued with her sell. I waited about 10 seconds, realized she was ignoring my comment and then hung up. As I was logging on the computer to blog about my day yesterday that really didn't amount to much in the way of physical activity my phone rang.

The Conversation:

C.C. - "May I speak to Mr. Carr?"

Me - "This is he."

C.C. - "Hello Mr. Carr, this is April from Charter Communications. I just want to let you know that this conversation my be recorded for quality purposes"

Me - "Hello April, I just wanted to let you know that I'm not interested in your telephone service."

C.C. - pause...... uh um...... "Well.. it can save you more money than your current.... "

Me - "I do not have a home phone."

C.C. - "OK.... well thank for your....... "

Me - the sound of my phone snapping shut

I'm getting better and actually starting to have fun with these people. Next month maybe I'll come up with something funny to say and really make them stutter.

Anyway my day yesterday was looking like it would be fun on Wed in Knoxville. We were driving in for a funeral for my brother in-law's father and to cheer up a sad day Melinda and I decided to make the most of our trip and take our bikes and hit the trails at Haw Ridge before heading home to do some kayaking on Boone Lake. Our plan was to meet up with Alan, Angie & some paddling group we've never met that evening, kayak to the local marina for dinner and a beer then head back across the lake in the dark.
Melinda did the math in her head and told me we would be cutting it too short to get both activities in. I argued with her a little but she talked some sense into me and since we had already committed to the paddle with friends we decided to leave the bikes at home. Bad move, we got home had a snack and laid down for a quick power nap only to be awoken with the crash of thunder, then came the flooding rain and hail. The storms passed after about an hour but left us doubting anyone would show up. I loaded up the boats with hope in my mind but after repeated failed attempts to reach Alan I had a bad feeling we were about to get stood up. As we rolled into JC Alan finally called having forgot his phone while at work and let me know he wasn't going to make it (not his fault). We proceeded on to the lake but no one was to be found. Not wanting to paddle in the dark alone unsure about our route Melinda and I decided to head to Cootie Brown's for pizza, the only highlight of our day. The lesson we learned here, always take the bikes.

Short Track Racing and the AKS Nation

Wednesday night short track racing has been going on in the hay fields of the ETSU campus for a a few weeks now but I've yet to make an appearance until tonight. I wasn't sure what to expect other than to get my ass handed to me especially after running an 8k this afternoon in the heat of the day with a sprained back muscle. What is it with me and pulled back muscles?
The crew was bigger than I thought but most of the local heavy hitters pulled a no show so my first experience proved to be more fun than I thought. After a few warm up laps complete with enough heckling to run off any newbies we paid our measly $1 entry fee and lined up in front of the curly headed kid who was running the show. He laughed when I paid all in quarters but I don't know if it was a good laugh or a laugh that said "what a jerk" but hey a dollar is a dollar, right?
The AKS Nation was spouting off here and there earlier this week on my local mtb forum even stating that there would be a full on showing at Wed. night short track, I called his bluff but he proved me wrong showing up with the prettiest Santa Cruz Chameleon I've seen in a while. Spec'd out all in black, even Dale Earnhardt would have been proud. Speaking of NASCAR, two things that go hand in hand here in the south, short track racing and yer alcohol in a tall boy can. We had short track racing and the alcohol in a can was the trophy to the winner. I don't think the rednecks would have approved of the camo purple can of ghetto juice the curly headed kid handed over to the winner but it would have fit in downtown for sure.
The race: I wasn't sure about half the racers having never ridden with most so I figured I'd get up front early and see what happened, it was only 20 minutes, surely I can hang on with out puking or falling over. I took off the line in 4th place and held it until the guy in front of me stalled at the first jump and Alan passed me like his ass was on fire. I passed the stalled rider and hopped on Alan's wheel trying my best to keep him close. After a couple of laps he started to pull away which really didn't bother me too bad because we were already starting to lap some of the other riders. The longer we rode the farther Alan pulled away from me. Luckily Mike Thomas the local cult hero/bike collector was there on hand spewing foul language at me every time I passed to keep me laughing. When I thought all was lost and Alan was outta sight I came around the corner and found him pushing his bike off the course with a mechanical. I asked him if all was ok and he said yes so I continued on now in 3rd looking over my shoulder hoping no one was coming to challenge me. None did and I finished in my secured spot even though I was lapped by 1st and 2nd. Like I said before most of the normal heavy hitters didn't show so I got lucky tonight with 3rd. It's not often I get a decent finish so I'll take it but it'll be another week or two before I make my return due to work conflicts.
No there were no chicken bones or beer cans flying from the stands but this isn't NASCAR short track racing, it's just a few college kids trying to raise a few bucks for there mtn bike team at a college that only cares about stick and ball sports that are more main stream but it was definitely by far the most fun I've ever had at a college sporting event.

On a more positive note it's been brought to my attention by some of my blogger fans that I'm being to negative lately so I just want to wish everyone a wonderful day tomorrow and may your day be full of sunshine and waist thinning cheeseburgers.

Dupont vacation (photo essay)

Here are a few pics from our most recent trip to Dupont State Forest.

I ended up working on Melinda's brakes (Mech. disc) about three times over the course of the week before finally giving up on them. I finally talked her into up grading to a set of the new white Avid Juicy's out right now. No more caliper/pad adjustments on the trail!

Cooking burgers over the fire, old school style!

The top of Bridal Falls

Cedar Mtn., East Coast Slick rock or as close as we can get to slick rock.

Andy and Abby joined us for a day of riding but most everyone else bailed.

We scored a new rug this year for the camper that works really good outdoors, the dirt passes right through it and the dogs thought it was comfy. I thought it resembled a dance club with the fancy new lights Melinda found on sale.

My new lucky horse shoe I found out on the trails, I've yet to find a good place to mount it.

My folks joined us on this trip and as usual my Dad found a good place to take a nap.

The famous river crossing that has seen many fall into while trying to cross, myself included but not this time. Melinda managed to fall twice but I wasn't able to capture either moment on film. One time she slipped and fell on her own, the second time Jackson slipped and fell into her taking both of them for a swim.

This is how I spent most of my night sitting by the fire with Melinda sipping a cold one.

camp, we had it rough

randomness

As usual I have 7 days off every month and since Melinda has been out for the summer we have been camping the last 2 months in a row and it looks as if we may go again the next go around. Last week we headed down to Dupont State Forest and camped for about 6 days. As always the riding was excellent, Dupont never fails to disappoint me. The trails there offer some magnificent views and some take you right to the base of some really cool waterfalls. I was sad to come home and go back to work but I guess it's what I have to do in order to support my riding habit.
I was surprised to find out how many famous people died in the past 2 weeks. Farrah Faucet, Michael Jackson, Ed McMann, Billy Mays, and today Donavan McNabb. What's up with all of that?
Some fun times coming up in the next few weeks, Fun Fest kicks off next weekend. Fun Fest is a week long event here in Kingsport that's draws all the rednecks out of the woods. The only events I usually attend are the sporting events like the Tour De Possum Creek, the Crazy 8's 8k, and the Bays Mountain Rally. This year the TDC has separated itself from the Fun Fest event and I've decided to pass on it this year in favor of the MUCH cooler Dead Possum Ride put on by non other than my good buddy Scooby. I still plan on running the 8k and riding in the Bays Mtn rally both of which I had to sit and watch due to my back injury last year. I'm pretty pumped about the events this year. I do sometimes make it out to the big event on Sat night to people watch and for the fireworks but I think we'll miss it this year in favor of a backyard bike skills party some friends of our are throwing. Skills course, bikes and beer, hmm.... could be interesting.

a week of silence

Riding with Dogs will be observing a week of silence in honor of the gloved one. It was sad to hear that Farrah Faucet died yesterday morning after a battle with cancer but then when the news announced MJ was dead I was really in awe.
Actually Melinda and I will be camping and riding at Dupont like we've done for the past 4 years but I will make her listen to Michael Jackson the whole drive down today.
I'm sorry not much has been going on here lately but I just finished hell week. No I didn't go back to college and join another fraternity, work was awful this week and I pretty much went straight to bed after I got off work everyday this week. If you don't believe me just ask Melinda. I should have something to blog about when I get back in town. Dupont always seems to generate a few stories.

homemade kayak rack storage unit

After about 2 months of having the kayaks laying around the driveway and on the deck I finally got around to building a storage system for them. I needed something to protect them from the elements and get them out of the way. We're all about proper storage at our house... wait I should have said Melinda is all about proper storage at our house. Alot of stuff would be laying around in disarray if it were up to me. After a bit of Internet searching I found some pretty interesting storage systems, some were free standing outside systems which is what I wanted but most were various types of shelving units in garages. Since I do not have a garage I went for the outside free standing unit. I found this design pretty quick but with no dimensions so I had to come up with the spec. myself. There were some pretty interesting concepts out there but I found this one to be the best choice with my limited carpenter skills.

new stuff

It's been kind of slow around here at Riding With Dogs. We've had alot of thunderstorms plus my busy work schedule has left me with little ride time and the dogs with little trail running. You know whenever you buy a new bike it always seems to rain for a week straight leaving you stuck in the house just staring at your new steed anxious to hit the trails and break it in proper like but you can't. Well I don't have a new ride hanging in the bike room but I did buy a new pair of riding shoes, some new gloves and a new camera to replace the one Melinda and I trashed at the beach. That must be the reason for all the rain. I was really due for a new pair of shoes, the ones I've been using were on their 4th season and were on the verge of falling apart. I've had my eye on a pair of Shimanos for some time and I've put off purchasing any because I just couldn't justify spending the extra money right now with all the traveling we've done. Melinda has been harassing me to get a new pair and instead of waiting on me to go for it she bought them for me as an early Father's Day gift from the dogs. Yes the dogs give Mother & Father's Day gifts. They're usually not as expensive as a new pair of shoes but I really needed them.

For the past 3 years I've been using Mechanics brand gloves for riding in. I've found a style that has worked well for me and is a little more durable and cheaper than most of the gloves I've looked at in the shops around town. Shoes and gloves are 2 things I will not order online unless I'm sure about the fit so I'm sometimes limited to my choices. I've been on the look out for a new pair of gloves but the style I've been using has been out of stock at my Lowes and all of the gloves my local shops are stocking seem to be thin, flimsy and expensive. I was getting close to start an online search for gloves when I met the US General Manager for Endura, a cycling clothing co. out of Scotland. None of the shops in my area carry Endura products but I'd seen there stuff first about a year ago in several cycling magazines and most recently Dirt Rag did a review on some of their shorts. I do own a pair of their 3/4 pants which are very nice for riding in in all conditions. Anyway back to my story, Melinda and I were on a ferry in the Outer Banks on our way back from Ockracoke and I had been wandering around the ferry checking out all the boat that were passing us. As we approached the shore I headed back to my truck and went around to the back to check on the dogs when the guy parked behind us got out of his truck, approached me and started up a conversation about cycling. I guess he saw the back window of my truck which is covered with bike stickers and he introduced himself as the GM of Endura for the US which I thought was totally cool. I told him I had the Humvee 3/4 pants and loved them and that's when he gave me him card and told me to send him an email and he would send me a pair of gloves. What perfect timing, as soon as we got back in town I sent him an email with my size and my appreciation. Two days ago my friendly Fed-Ex man dropped off a package for me containing one pair of Singletrack gloves.

In my email I hinted around that I was a fan of full finger gloves trying not to be demanding especially since they were free. At first glance I was impressed with them, although they were not as heavy duty as my Mechanics brand gloves they fit snug and comfortable. I've yet to try them out other than in my kitchen, not as oven mitts just practicing my runway moves. As soon as Mother Nature cooperates I plan to put them to the real test out on the trails.

I would have posted real time pics of the new gloves and shoes but like I said before we trashed our camera and the new one is still in the box waiting to be set-up. Hopefully I will find myself on the trail by this weekend with Melinda and the dogs to test out all the new equipment that is lying around the house patiently until it's called into service.

the open road or lack there of

I was out on my road bike Wed. looking over my shoulder at the sky. I knew there was a chance for severe thunderstorms during the late afternoon hours but my ride time was limited and I still needed to get a run in as soon as I was done on the bike. The clouds were dark but they didn't look to menacing and I was close to being finished with my ride. I glanced down at my bike computer to see where I was on my time and as I scrolled through the options I paused for a second at my odometer. I stared in disbelief for a moment squinting a little harder to make sure I was on the right setting. Did that say only 145 miles? It did, and this is already June, WTF? I reset my computer at the beginning of this year after entering a bet I knew I wouldn't win with some friends on who would have the most mileage this year for both on and off road. I pretty much screwed myself out even a 3rd place finish after I reset my computer on the Mamasita and I might feel a little better had I done the same with my road bike. One hundred and forty five measly miles, it's really all I've done this year and I guess I shouldn't be surprised I knew I've been neglecting my road bike this year. Normally during the summer months I ride my road bike 2 -3 times a week putting in alot more road miles than off-road, not this year.
I've been riding my bike this year, alot actually but it's been all off-road, trails, the singletrack goodness. I've had a couple of days to ponder this and I think I've come to a conclusion that makes me feel a little better. Normally during the summer I do a lot of riding on the road because I'm riding alone and I can mix it up and still stay local. With the trails in the past few years I've been limited to just a couple of places some of which have not always been the best of places to ride. I've never been one to take off on a road trip by myself to ride an unknown alone. This year, with Alan unemployed I've taken quite a few road trips and for a while we were riding somewhere different out of town 2 sometimes 3 times a month. Another factor is new trails, Bays Mountain has changed in a big way opening up several miles of trails some new some old hiking only. All of this change has been fun and exciting and has kept Melinda a little more stress free. She has never been a fan of me riding on the road, that's why I don't commute to work via bike. I can't say I hope things change, I really haven't missed my road bike that much, I love riding it but I've always been much more a fan of the dirt. Things may change though but for the good, Alan just learned that he's going back to work part-time. He says he doesn't want to but I guess I can understand, he's done well being unemployed.

OBX

I know I said after the Tsali race I would put together a video but I still haven't even looked at the footage. Why not? I haven't had time, I've barely been home and when I have been at home it's been busy. Melinda's out of school and studying for a big test so I have been trying to make things go as easily as possible for her by doing all of the chores around the house which is alot tougher than it looks. I can handle it though this test pretty much determines her paycheck and I really don't want her to fail. I don't doubt her one bit, she very smart but she would never admit to that. About the Tsali video, maybe I'll get around to it maybe I won't, it's old hat now anyway.

One of the things that has kept me from producing high quality trail videos for your viewing pleasure was our trip to the Outer Banks or as some folks call it the "OBX". I saw those stupid OBX stickers everywhere I went while I was down there and I have never really understood the fascination with the simple round colorless sticker with only 3 letters. I'll admit I stared at them for years wondering what the heck "OBX" meant, never asking anyone for fear of being made fun of. It seemed like everyone was picking up on the ultra cool simplicity of the cheap sticker. One of my old room mates in college one day showed up with a similar sticker but with a JS instead. I stared at it for a couple of weeks and I finally gave up on trying to figure it out so I asked him what it meant. "Jamaican Sports"... okay he wasn't on the bobsled team as far as I knew so I knew he was a wanna be from that day on.

Anyway back to my beach trip, I promise not to bore you with any goofy stories about sunsets or Jimmy Buffets songs (I hate Jimmy Buffet) but I do have a funny story or two.

I've seen many folks camped out in our WalMart parking lot over night and I've heard WalMart welcomes RVer's so instead of wasting a whole Saturday on the road we left Fri night drove to the other side of Raleigh and crashed in a WalMart parking lot. I slept just fine but Melinda didn't do so well, she was worried we were going to get robbed. It was a nice WalMart, we even had a nice little campsite with a good grassy spot for the dogs to crap in.

When we did arrive @ the "OBX" we set up camp and headed through town to check things out and scope out the beaches. As we approached the end of town which is small we came across a dirt road that was beach access for cars. Actually 4x4 only, I'm really not a fan of driving on the beach but my interest was sparked and I've never really done much four wheeling in my truck so I decided what the hay. A quick read of the warning signs gave a few tips and off we went. As I crossed over the dune and down onto the beach the sand became very soft and deep. I made it maybe 20 feet and I realized I was loosing momentum whether I liked it or not. I tried 4 low but it was no help, I tried to back up but that didn't work either. I was just digging myself into a hole. Luckily I had some pieces of wood that we use to level the ECO and I tried digging my tires out to see if I could get going again. Nothing, people were passing me in all types vehicles. I even got passed by a Honda Element with street tires. I knew I didn't have much experience in 4 wheeling but this was ridiculous and embarrassing. There was one thing I hadn't tried but it was my last and only option before I made the call for a tow truck. One of the recommendation on the sign was to lower your tire psi to 20 lbs, I did that along with placing wooden planks under each tire and I was finally able to pull out. Whew, saved from certain embarrassment!

The pics we took at the Outer Banks are the last ones I've taken in a couple of weeks, we managed to get our camera wet one day while lounging at the beach so until we spring for a new camera I'll have to excite my readers with my vocabulary.

more Disc Burner?

Just when I thought they couldn't get better, the fine folks who put on the disc Burner went and did it again. Almost every race has photographers out on the course snapping pics and a few days later they're online for you to download usually at a hefty fee. I have always declined this even though they are nicely done but I usually have someone in my entourage documenting the event for me. Well when I received the usual post race email from the Disc Burner folks I was pleasantly surprised to find that the pics from the race were free to download! What's next? I can't wait till next year!

paddling to work

Last Monday evening I finally made the trek to work via the Holston River in my kayak. I've put it off for many different reasons such as really cold dark morning and most recently the amount of water the dam just a few hundred yards up from our house has been releasing. Most of the entrance and exit points have been under water for a couple of weeks and the current has been so swift that the paddle home would have been impossible. After all our traveling was out of the way and the water level finally receded I decided to make my first attempt Monday afternoon. I left the house around 4:15, I normally leave @ 5:15 by car but I would rather have extra time left over just in case. From the time I walked out of the driveway until I locked up my boat and took a quick shower it was just about an hour so I was quite a bit early to work. I don't think most of the people I worked with actually thought I would go through with it because I got a few that didn't believe me even though they saw my boat sitting just outside the gate.
As the night wore on and I started getting tired I started having second thoughts about paddling back home but I knew if I called in Melinda to come get me I would never hear the end of it from my co-workers so I decided to stay the course. I knew once I got going I would be wide awake and probably end up having trouble falling asleep once I made it home.
As I gathered my things for my trip home I noticed all my co-workers still hanging around waiting to see me off and if I really was going to do this. I even got two offers for a ride home but I politely declined. Some admitted they were only waiting to see if I would fall in the water. One guy even asked how it was possible to make it back up stream with all the rough water. I said "what?" he then started to describe the conditions of a class 5 river with giant boulders. It was kind of sad when I realized how naive some people are about things and that probably the most contact they have with nature is mowing their yard.
The paddle home was pretty foggy and based on the markings of the rocks I could tell the river was almost 2 feet lower than it had been the previous evening. I decided that with the lower water level, limited visibility and the abundance of rocks near my original entry point I got out a couple hundred yards downstream and walked the rest of the way in via the fisherman's trail that runs along the bank. I had a feeling I was going to bottom out if I tried to make it all the way up and would end up turning around anyway.
Now the question is will I do it again, probably, but not on a regular basis. A 2 hour round trip on the river vs. a 6 min round trip in the car eats up a good portion of what's left of my day after working a 12 hr. shift. I did enjoy the time on the river, at 6am there is alot more wildlife to be seen as opposed to the rest of the day.

Disc Burner recap

The Disc Burner 12 hours race is now officially one of my favorites and will be on my agenda for next year. It wasn't the race course that did it for me but more the folks who ran it. I decided last minute to do this one and even though I missed pre-registration the cost was still reasonable for what we got. The swag that was given out to racers was the best I've seen yet: Mountain Hardwear wicking T instead of the normal cotton T, a pair of Smartwool cycling socks, and a pint glass with the Disc Burner logo. Plus at 1:00 the 3 free kegs were tapped and the cool pint glasses were put to good use.

The race started out with the normal Lemans start and a double track climb that help break up the pack. I decided on the 6 hr race for this one so I ran a little quicker laps that I would for the 12 hour races. I've been trying out all the Edurolyte pills I've gotten free at various events and they really seemed to help me at the last 2 races I've done. I still felt fresh 4 hours into the race. Once my free stash runs out I just might actually throw down some $$ for a bottle of these things.

All of my laps went well without any mechanicals or bonking. After lap 4 I rolled in and checked up with Alan who informed me we only had time for one more before the 2:20 cut-off. I was kind of disappointed thinking it would be closer to 3. I knew I had 6 laps in me but 5 was alot better performance than my measly 3 @ Warriors Creek. Next time I'll pay better attention to the time and not spend so much time goofing off in the pits.
Lap 5 I started out with Alan and for some reason I felt really good, better than I had on lap 4. I picked up my pace knowing it was my last and decided to give it my all just in case I might pick up a spot or two. About half way through the lap I caught sight of an ETSU jersey. I had no idea who it was or if I was even racing against them but I decided to make it my goal to catch whoever it was. Over the course of a mile or two I reeled him in and passed him at the top of a climb. Working pretty hard I didn't get a good look at who it was but he didn't look familiar so I said nothing and just kept riding. I put a gap on the rider and found another carrot to chase. I passed the rider who had given up on climbing the hills but as soon as we started descending he was all over my rear tire so I moved over and let him pass, being too tired to worry about someone breathing down my neck. As soon as we approached another climb off the bike he went and started walking again. Once again I passed him on the climb only to find him all over my rear tire once we started descending. I knew this was going to get on my nerves so I decided to make him work for it if he wanted to pass me. He stayed there through the rest of the course until we reached the last section of fireroads where he finally did pass me and luckily for him there were no more climbs so I just let him go. I turned around to see if anyone else was coming and in all see sawing going on between me and the other rider the cat in the ESTU jersey had caught back up to me. All the hard riding I did to keep the hill walker behind me had left my legs cramping and it was all I had left in me to keep the ETSU rider behind me. During the final stretches of the course he really began to reel me in and I could feel him drafting me really close. The end of the course takes you through a couple of large fields with plenty of room to pass but he stayed behind me until the road crossing just before we entered the final field that contained the finish line. As we approached the road crossing I sensed him start to try and pass so I stood up stomped on the pedals with everything I had and pulled back ahead by a couple of inches as we entered the cone lined lane set up several yards before the finish line. The cone lined course arched to the right as it approached the finish line and I took the inside line leaving no room to pass except on the outside. We were both coming in very hot and all of the sudden out of the corner of my eye I see a blur of bike and blue jersey on my right and hear an oh sh*t! as the rider attempted to squeeze into the space between me and the cones failing miserably. He smashed hard into me taking both of us down. We were traveling so fast that when I came off my bike I hit the ground and rolled at least three times. I somehow managed roll back to my feet and grab my bike which was sliding on the grass behind me. I jumped up but quickly realized something was wrong because the handlebars would not turn right. I decided to run across the line with my bike in hand just ahead of my pursuer. As I ran across the line I shouted a few choice words to the ETSU rider. After I crossed I turned to face him and told him how unnecessary that was before I accessed the damage to me and my bike. He said nothing, crossed the line and walked off. As I walked back to the camper I couldn't help but think how familiar he looked once I looked at him face to face. When I reached the camper I told Melinda the story and she commented on how she had heard a crash and everyone who was spectating shout holy sh*t! I told her the rider was wearing an ETSU jersey and she told me who he was and I immediately felt bad for cussing him even though it was his fault.
Later that afternoon he approached me to apologize about the crash and I apologized as well for cussing him. I told him not to worry, I said it was just hard racing. I felt kinda like a NASCAR driver when someone crashes into his buddies car and he doesn't want to call him an idiot on national TV. "Aw,... we were just racing each other really hard." By then I had already checked the results and we were both indeed in the 6 hr race something I wasn't sure of but he was a lap up on me. When I told him that he said he was chasing the guy in front of us who I had previously been see sawing with but by the time the ETSU rider had caught me the other guy was long gone and out of sight. Hmmm.......

photo cred: Scooby's Snacks